


On the other side of the wall

by itzloonatic



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/F, Romance, hyunjin in gay panic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-10-05 05:17:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20483489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzloonatic/pseuds/itzloonatic
Summary: When Hyunjin's best friend Jinsol leaves their shared apartment to move in with her girlfriend, the college student can only worry about adjusting to life with a complete stranger.That is, until the new girl walks through the front door and immediately sparks Hyunjin's interest.---But when the doorbell rang, all that sadness and melancholy seemed to fade.“Hi, you’re Hyunjin, right?” The girl standing outside asked.Hyunjin gulped. “H-Hi, yes, and you’re Heejin, right?”She smiled and nodded, and all of a sudden, the world spun around.





	1. Hyunjin in gay panic? Shocking

“I hate you.” 

“No, you don’t.” Jinsol smiled at her. 

Hyunjin leaned on the doorframe and pouted. “You’re abandoning me.” 

“Aw, Aeongie, don’t sulk.” Jinsol patted her head. “I won’t be that far. I’m sure the new girl will be a great roommate.” 

“What if she isn’t?” 

“If you keep being so negative, you’ll actually attract a terrible roommate.” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes. 

“I need to go, Jungeun is waiting for me in the car. If you need anything, you know you can just call me.” 

“You won’t pick up anyway, you’ll be too busy living almost-married life.” Hyunjin crossed her arms and pouted once again. 

Jinsol pinched her cheeks and squealed. “You’re really cute, but I have to go.” She grabbed her bags and blew Hyunjin a kiss before stepping outside. 

“Great girlfriend you have, she doesn’t even come help you carry your bags,” Hyunjin said as Jinsol waited for the elevator. 

“She had to park second row, she can’t leave the car.” 

“Now I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.” 

“Love is stronger than parking laws.” Jinsol winked before the elevator doors closed. 

Hyunjin faked a gag and went back inside. She closed the door and dragged herself to the couch, where her body fell lifeless. Of course she was happy that her best friend was moving in with her girlfriend, and even waited for the end of the month so Hyunjin could find a new roommate and not have to handle expenses by herself. But that didn’t make it any less sad. 

They had moved in together a year ago so Hyunjin could be living near college and Jinsol near her workplace, and the living arrangement had worked surprisingly well. 

But when the doorbell rang, all that sadness and melancholy seemed to fade. 

“Hi, you’re Hyunjin, right?” The girl standing outside asked. 

Hyunjin gulped. “H-Hi, yes, and you’re Heejin, right?” 

She smiled and nodded, and all of a sudden, the world spun around. 

“C-Come in.” Hyunjin moved aside, and her hand moved on its own to grab the girl’s suitcase. “Let me help you with that.” 

“Oh, thank you so much.” 

“I’ll take this to your room, follow me.” 

Hyunjin lead the way towards the end of the corridor to the left, internally screaming and telling herself to calm down. 

She opened the door and slid inside, setting the suitcase beside the bed. She turned to find Heejin looking around with her mouth agape. 

“You like it?” 

“Yes, even better than the pictures. Bigger than my previous room as well. It’s great.” 

Hyunjin tried not to smile too brightly, but god damn, Heejin had to be that pretty. “I’m glad you like it. Come, let me show you around the house.” She lead the way once more, and showed her the bathroom, right beside her room, to the right, and her own room, at the left side. “And here’s the living room and kitchen. Feel free to use whatever you need.” 

“Thank you so much,” Heejin said, giving her a quick bow. “I hope we get along well.” 

“Y-Yeah, of course! Make yourself at home, I’ll be in my room, if you need anything, just knock.” And after another thanks from Heejin, Hyunjin rushed to her room, almost bumping into the couch on her way. 

She closed the door and leaned against it. She was going to live with her. Live. She threw her body towards her bed and fetched her phone from her pocket. 

“Yah!” Hyunjin whisper-yelled as soon as Jinsol picked up. “You don’t understand.” 

“What?” 

“The girl...” 

“What did she do?” 

“She’s living here!” 

There was silence over the line, and Hyunjin could faintly listen to the radio and the car moving. 

“I know I’m a bit dumb, but I’m really not following,” Jinsol said. 

“She’s gorgeous, beautiful, super fucking pretty!” 

“Ah, Kim Hyunjin in gay panic. Shocking.” 

“No! Well, yes, but this is more than that! It’s not just a random girl I saw somewhere, it’s my damn roommate!” Hyunjin rolled around her bed. 

“You don’t normally say so many swear words. You’ll scare her away like that. Don’t be rude!” 

Hyunjin sighed. “You’re not helping. What do I do?” 

“You... live your life like you always do? Wait, maybe try not to be too weird.” 

“What? I’m not weird.” 

“Whatever you do, showing her your barking talent is not a good ice breaker,” Jinsol said, and even Jungeun laughed. 

“Why would I bark?” 

“Because you bark at me.” 

“But you are you, and she’s Heejin!” 

“So that’s her name. Hey, sorry, we just arrived, I gotta go. Good luck with Heejin!” 

“Yeah, of course, abandon me aga-” and the call was over. “This bitch.” 

Hyunjin sighed, and rolled on her back, staring at the ceiling. Okay, maybe she was overreacting. But she never lived with anyone she just met. So, if she was supposed to live as if no one was around, what would Hyunjin do on this fine Sunday? Grab a cold drink and watch TV to relax a bit, so she could study later. 

She skipped channel after channel, while she listened to the water running in the bathroom. Should she ask if Heejin wanted to watch a movie when she was done? They met not even an hour ago, that was too blunt... right? At the same time, it would be a good idea to break the ice without... barking. It would probably make it easier to live together if they were friends. 

Convinced it was a good idea, as soon as she heard the door opening, Hyunjin turned her head, but she did not expect to find Heejin leaving the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her body, and her wet hair running down her back. Hyunjin didn’t mean to, but her eyes wandered all the way down to her feet, then back up, until they met Heejin’s, and she didn’t want to know how red her face was. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you would be there,” Heejin said, her feet glued to the floor. 

“I-It’s ok-kay! I’m sorry too, I didn’t know you would come out... like that.” 

Heejin opened her mouth, but said nothing, and rushed inside her room. 

Could Hyunjin panic now? Or maybe slap herself, jump out the window, something like that. That was not part of the live your life like you always do plan. 

Hyunjin wanted to go to her room, get under the blankets and somehow try to erase what just happened from her mind, but that would be weird. So, she stayed there, browsing the channels and skipping without even paying attention to what was on. 

A few minutes, or an hour later, Hyunjin didn’t know, Heejin’s door opened. This time, she didn’t look, and kept her eyes on the random movie she ended up watching. 

“I-I have to head to work, do you have my keys?” Heejin asked. 

“Oh, yes, of course.” Hyunjin stood up and walked in quick steps to get Heejin’s keys. She turned and didn’t expect Heejin to be so close to her, a mere step away. Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice their height difference, and the cutest of the moles just by her left eye, and how her long, dark brown hair shone under the rays of sun that peeked through the window- 

“Uh, are those the keys?” Heejin extended her hand. 

"Right, I’m sorry, I...” Hyunjin gave up on trying to speak and dropped the keys into her hand. 

“Thank you, I’ll probably be back late, so don’t worry,” Heejin said, opening the door. 

“All right, I won’t,” Hyunjin said, and mentally slapped herself. “I mean, just because you said so, or else I would probably wonder when you would arrive, I mean, if it was really late.” 

Heejin stared at her, the corner of her lips raising as Hyunjin almost tripped on her words. 

“See you later, then.” 

“Yeah, have a good day at work.” 

And Heejin had to shot her a smile before closing the door, but she didn’t need to, because she had no idea how hard Hyunjin’s heart thumped against her chest. 

There was so much on Hyunjin’s mind that she gave up on the tv and studying altogether. She didn’t know if the weather got too hot, or it was just herself, but a shower was what she needed. She grabbed whatever she needed from her bedroom, probably forgetting something silly because her head wasn’t thinking properly. 

Hyunjin was about to step inside the bathtub, but something stopped her. Her nose scrunched up as she stared at the strands of hair lingering in the drain. She lost count of the times she fought with Jinsol because she never learned that Hyunjin hated, dreaded, hairs in the bathtub drain. 

But Heejin couldn’t have known, right? Maybe she didn’t notice. 

\--- 

Hyunjin was told not to worry, but there she was, rolling around on her bed, waiting for Heejin to arrive instead of trying to fall asleep. Even if she tried, she wouldn’t be able to, not until she knew Heejin was home. How could she not worry if she didn’t know where she worked at, or what she did, when it was almost midnight? 

But didn’t they just meet today? 

She gave up. Instead, she got off bed and went to get herself something to munch on. And just as she opened the fridge, the front door opened. She shot up and met Heejin’s eyes. 

“Hey.” Heejin gave her a small smile. “Still up?” 

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep,” she lied. Well, it was not a lie. 

“Were you waiting for me?” Heejin asked, irking an eyebrow at her as she removed her shoes. 

“N-No, you told me not to worry, remember.” 

“You could wait without worrying.” 

Hyunjin held her breath and tried to come up with something to answer, but when nothing came, Heejin smirked. 

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll head to sleep,” Heejin said, walking to her room. 

“Of course, I should do the same.” Hyunjin closed the fridge. 

Heejin giggled. “Good night, Hyunjin.” 

“Good night, Heejin.” 

She should indeed go to sleep, she had classes the next morning and she was not an easy person when she didn’t get much sleep. 

But falling asleep after a day like that wouldn’t be easy. It hadn’t been a day since she met Heejin, yet, so much happened already, and Hyunjin didn’t know how to deal with the explosion of feelings she experienced that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wouldn't panic right... HI EVERYONE I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I'll upload regularly at Mondays and Thursdays (if I don't forget, if I do, I'll apologize in advance keke) 
> 
> Thank you for reading this story! ^-^


	2. For the bread, of course

Hyunjin arrived home, at last. Long day of classes, and hearing Jinsol bragging about her new house and Jungeun, and teasing her about Heejin for two hours exhausted her. All she wanted was to eat the bread she had left the day before- 

“Where’s my bread?” Hyunjin frowned when it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. 

She searched inside every cabinet, on the table, even inside the fridge, and... nothing. No bread, but dirty plates in the sink. Hyunjin took a deep breath, and after staring at it for a few seconds, she found the culprit. The bread crumbs in one of the plates. 

“Heejin... Not only she left dirty plates to wash, but she ate my bread.” Hyunjin leaned against the kitchen counter and took long, deep breaths. “It’s okay, there is no way she would have known-” 

The door opened. 

“Did you eat my bread?!” Hyunjin said before Heejin could even step inside. 

Heejin frowned and closed the door. “Y-Yes, but I-” 

“Why would you eat my bread? Do you know how precious bread is to me?!” 

“I thought you’d forgotten about it so I ate it, I didn’t want it to grow moldy and go straight to trash,” Heejin said, lifting a bag in her hand. “I brought freshly baked bread, though.” 

Hyunjin’s features lit up, and her eyes were looking at the single person that defeated all the evil in the world. And she just realized she was rude for no reason at all. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Hyunjin took a hand to her forehead. “I just... get really hangry. I’m sensitive when it comes to bread.” 

It was noticeable that Heejin was holding a laugh from how she forced her lips into a thin line. 

“I understand, I can’t function without caffeine,” Heejin said, removing the contents from the bag, revealing not only bread, but a couple take away containers. 

“I don’t really like coffee, so you don’t have to worry that I will finish it or something.” 

“Oh, great. I’ll be careful now not to eat your bread. I thought I was the only one who didn’t mind eating bread from the day before. Sorry.” 

“No, actually, it’s okay, I can share it with you.” 

Heejin stopped and looked at Hyunjin’s eyes. 

“You’re sure you won’t regret your words?” She smirked. 

Hyunjin gulped, and at last, Heejin burst out laughing. And how could she not forgive her for the hairs in the drain, the dirty plates, and her bread, when she looked so adorable? 

“W-What?” Hyunjin forced a frown on her face. 

“Nothing, I just had never seen someone being so protective over bread before.” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes. “I get that a lot.” 

“I can see why. Let’s eat? I’m starving.” 

Heejin opened the boxes to reveal some stir-fried noodles, kimchi, and kimbap. Hyunjin widened her eyes and licked her lips, hearing her stomach rumble. 

“Thank you so much, you didn’t have to bring so much food.” Hyunjin sat, and waited for Heejin to do the same. 

“It’s okay. I didn’t even know if you would be home or if you’d be hungry, but I heard that students are always hungry. I wanted to thank you for receiving me so well yesterday, and also apologize for making things... awkward.” 

“Oh.” The image of Heejin leaving the bathroom in a towel invaded Hyunjin's mind once again, but she blinked and shook it off. “Why don’t we start from scratch and properly introduce ourselves?” 

“That would be great.” Heejin smiled, handing her a pair of chopsticks. “I’ll go first then. My name is Jeon Heejin, I’m twenty, and I work at a coffee shop.” 

“I’m twenty as well! Omo,” Hyunjin said, her voice filled with excitement. “I’m Kim Hyunjin, and I’m studying business in college.” 

Heejin nodded with raised eyebrows. “Wanna be a business woman, huh?” 

“I want to open a bakery.” 

Heejin almost spit the food she was munching on. “I-I’m sorry, I was not expecting that.” 

“I also get that a lot.” 

“It’s cute, though,” Heejin said, eyes down on her food. “That you know what you want to do and you’re working towards your goal.” 

“Don’t you have one? Don’t you want to go to college?” 

“No, actually no.” 

Maybe Hyunjin went somewhere she shouldn’t have. Heejin kept her head down, and the smile was gone. 

“Y-You arrived earlier today,” Hyunjin said. 

“Oh, yeah, I don’t really have a fixed schedule, so my days off and working hours vary. This week I’ll be arriving at this time.” 

“I see. Is it hard working at a coffee shop?” 

“I get to talk to lots of people and make drinks exactly how they like it, so that’s fun. Sometimes you’ll get rude customers or get sore from having to stand all day, but it’s alright.” 

Hyunjin nodded, listening to Heejin talk about her work. She couldn’t wait any longer to taste the bread she brought, so she took a big bite and nothing else around her existed. 

“Heejin... Where is this from?” 

“The bread? It’s from where I work. We have several kinds of bread and we make it fresh three times a day.” 

Hyunjin widened her eyes. “Since when do coffee shops have bread this good?” 

“You probably don’t go to coffee shops a lot, do you? Since you don’t like coffee and all.” 

Hyunjin shook her head sideways. 

“Nowadays, a coffee shop can’t rely on coffee alone. The customers expect the best from even the meals, the bread, the pastries... Everything tastes amazing there.” 

“Where is it?” 

A few taps on Heejin’s phone, and she turned it to Hyunjin. 

“It’s not far from college! I might pay you a visit.” 

“Oh, is that it? I’ll be waiting for you." 

“B-Because the bread is really good!” 

“Of course.” Heejin smirked. 

Could she read Hyunjin’s mind, or was she too obvious? 

\--- 

“See you tomorrow.” Hyunjin stood up. 

“Going home already?” Her friend Chaewon asked, following her outside the classroom. 

“No, but I have to go somewhere.” 

“Where? I’ll go with you.” 

“N-No, it’s okay, I can go alone.” 

Chaewon grabbed her wrist, making her stop and look back, meeting her frown. 

“You’re up to something.” 

“I’m just going to buy bread.” 

“Okay, then I’m coming with you." She smiled, and how could Hyunjin say no to that? She sighed and resumed their way, pulling Chaewon with her. “Assa! Is this a new place we’re going to?” 

“Yes.” 

“Is it nearby?” 

“Yes.” 

“Is the bread good?” 

“Do I look like I buy bread that’s anything less than excellent, Chaewon?” 

“No, not really.” Chaewon laughed. “Let's tell Hyejoo to come, too.” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes. Maybe that was a good idea, going with them was the same thing as going alone, because they would be too absorbed in their own world. And then Heejin wouldn’t think she’s stalking her or something, because she would be going with her friends. 

“Yes, tell her to come.” 

She knew how to make Chaewon happy. 

What she didn’t know, was that Yerim was going to come as well. And for some reason, they were really loud and hyped that afternoon. All she wanted was to visit Heejin- visit Heejin’s coffee shop to buy some bread, and maybe work a bit on her assignment. Obviously, it would be impossible to concentrate. Because of Yerim and Hyejoo and Chaewon, of course. 

They found the place after a ten minute walk, and the big, red letters above the entrance didn’t go by unnoticed – _ViViD coffee shop._

_ _“We walk by this place lots of times, but I’ve never tried it,” Hyejoo said, as the four of them walked inside. _ _

_ _The interior was modern, but with a chic vibe. The walls half wood, half painted in red, with the floor also in wood. The wall behind the counter was black, with the menu written by hand in white and red. _ _

_ _Then, there she was, behind the counter, taking the costumers’ orders. Hyunjin stood in line, behind her friends, so she wouldn’t see her just yet, and from there, she scanned the bread and other foods they had on display. _ _

_ _They were done ordering, so they moved to the other side to wait for their drinks, while Hyunjin waited for Heejin to finish placing the 5th pastry her friends had ordered on the tray. She knew most of them had been ordered by Hyejoo. That girl had the appetite of a wolf. _ _

_ _Then, she returned to the counter, and finally noticed her. _ _

_ _“H-Hyunjin!” _ _

_ _“Hi, Heejin. I told you I would pay you a visit.” She smiled at her, then remembered the real reason why she went there. “I mean, to eat bread. They all look so yummy, I don’t know what to order. Can you recommend something for me? I liked the one you brought yesterday, but I want to try something new.” _ _

_ _Heejin giggled. “Alright, sweet or salty?” _ _

_ _“Sweet.” _ _

_ _“Okay, give me a second then.” _ _

_ _Hyunjin nodded with a smile, following Heejin with her eyes and peeking at what she was choosing for her. _ _

_ _“Chocolate bread. One of the costumers’ favorites.” _ _

_ _“Sounds delicious.” _ _

_ _“Anything to drink?” _ _

_ _Hyunjin shook her head, while taking a bill from her wallet. _ _

_ _“Did you come here by yourself?” Heejin asked, counting the change. _ _

_ _“I was going to, but those loud girls that ordered half the menu are my friends, unfortunately,” Hyunjin giggled, tilting her head in their direction, where they were already seated. _ _

_ _“Oh, those are your friends? I didn’t notice you were with them.” _ _

_ _“Oh, yes, I like to pretend I don’t know them so I don’t get as embarrassed.” _ _

_ _“I see,” Heejin laughed and gave her the change. “I asked because I’m about to go on my break, so if you were alone I could keep you company, but since you’re not, well, I hope you and your friends enjoy your meal.” _ _

_ _“N-no! You can still keep me—us company, right? You should join us,” Hyunjin proposed, her eyes drifting everywhere. _ _

_ _Heejin’s eyebrows raised. “Oh, right, sure! Five more minutes and I’ll go.” _ _

_ _Hyunjin nodded, and joined them at last. _ _

_ _“I don’t know why you insisted in coming here, but thank you, this macchiato is great,” Yerim said, patting her back. _ _

_ _“Because they have great bread.” Hyunjin took a bite on her chocolate bread, and she couldn’t help but let out a satisfied groan. “It’s great.” _ _

_ _It sure was, just like the view. Her eyes wandered to Heejin, and there they stayed. She looked so cute with her hair in a ponytail and the black apron draping over her front. Her smile was always on her lips whenever she talked to a new costumer, even though she was probably working for some hours now. And how her brows knitted together when she prepared a drink- _ _

_ _“Hyunjin!” A hand shook her, stealing her attention. “What were you looking at? What else could be more interesting than the bread in your hands?” Chaewon, who sat in front of her, turned, and when she turned again, a smirk was plastered on her lips. “I knew you were up to something.” _ _

_ _“I-I told you, the bread is great, want a bite?” Hyunjin extended her hand. _ _

_ _“I believe that, but the girl is also very pretty.” Chaewon wiggled her eyebrows. _ _

_ _“Girl?” Yerim and Hyejoo asked at the same time. _ _

_ _“It’s not it-” _ _

_ _“Which one? The one with the ponytail, or the bun?” Yerim asked. _ _

_ _“Guys...” _ _

_ _“The one who took our orders, with the ponytail. Am I right?” Chaewon asked, taking a sip of her tea. _ _

_ _Hyunjin sighed. “It’s not like that, for real. She’s my roommate, and-” _ _

_ _“Your roommate?!” Yerim said, too loud for the place they were. _ _

_ _“Keep it down, you idiot!” Hyunjin smacked her leg, glancing at Heejin, but it seemed she didn’t hear it. “Let me explain! Yes, she’s my new roommate, Jinsol moved in with her girlfriend. And yesterday she brought me bread, because she ate mine, and I said I would stop by to get more bread.” _ _

_ _“And to visit her,” Chaewon added. _ _

_ _“Even if that was true, is there a problem in paying my roommate a visit?” Hyunjin huffed. _ _

_ _“Not at all, you’re just showing how interested you are in her,” Yerim said. _ _

_ _“I’m not-” _ _

_ _“Hi,” A voice said, and Hyunjin almost jumped off her chair. _ _

_ _“H-Hey, Heejin, you came!” _ _

_ _“Yeah, Haseul let me take a break now. I’m Heejin, Hyunjin’s roommate. Hyunjin invited me to join you guys, if that’s alright.” _ _

_ _“Yes, of course!” Yerim grinned. “We were just talking about-” _ _

_ _“How great the food is! And they really like the coffee too,” Hyunjin said, holding herself not to punch her. _ _

_ _“It’s unusual for coffee shops to have this much variety when it comes to tea. I’m happy I was able to get my favorite,” Chaewon said. _ _

_ _“Oh, that’s nice to hear.” Heejin pulled a chair from a vacant table aside them and sat at the edge of their table. “Actually, Haseul prepared your drink, I’ll let her know you liked them... Chaewon, is it?” Heejin asked, trying to read the name written on the girl’s cup. _ _

_ _Hyunjin let their friends introduce themselves while diving on her bread again. _ _

_ _“So, Heejin,” Chaewon took another sip of her tea. “What is it like being Hyunjin’s roommate? A hassle, right?” _ _

_ _“No, nothing like that!” Heejin waved her hands when Yerim and Hyejoo laughed. “It’s only been three days, but she’s very nice and fun to be around.” _ _

_ _“Take that, all of you.” Hyunjin flipped her hair. _ _

_ _“We know she’s just being nice,” Hyejoo mumbled. _ _

_ _“You see the kind of friends I have? Unbelievable.” Hyunjin sulked. _ _

_ _“True friends roast each other like that,” Heejin said. _ _

_ _While Hyunjin dropped her chin, her friends laughed. “You too, really? Wow, you came here just to side with them, didn’t you?” _ _

_ _Heejin laughed along. “I’m sorry, they’re funny. But don’t worry, I meant what I said,” she said, and when something soft rested on Hyunjin’s hand, four pairs of curious eyes stared at it. At Heejin’s hand on top of hers. _ _

_ _“Heejin?” Her colleague, which Hyunjin assumed to be Haseul, called. _ _

_ _“Y-Yes, coming!” Heejin stood up so abruptly the chair almost fell, if it wasn’t for Hyunjin’s quick reflexes. “I’m s-sorry, duty calls. It was great meeting you guys, and have fun!” _ _

_ _Silence took over for a few seconds, while Hyunjin’s brain still felt like a bluescreen. _ _

_ _“Did you guys... see that?” She heard Yerim’s voice, even though it seemed to come from the bottom of a well. “How flustered Heejin was?” _ _

_ _“And how red Hyunjin is,” Chaewon said. “Do you think she’s okay?” _ _

_ _“More than okay,” Hyejoo added. “She’s head over heels already.” _ _

_ _“Why would Heejin even do that?” Yerim asked. “I mean, she didn’t need to. But she did.” _ _

_ _“I read that when someone’s into you, they’ll find excuses to provoke physical contact even when it’s not really necessary,” Chaewon joked while she grabbed Hyejoo’s arm and shook it in excitement. _ _

_ _“Do you think she is?” Hyunjin suddenly snapped and turned to Chaewon, who even recoiled with the sudden question. _ _

_ _“I think anyone here can see that.” _ _

_ _Hyunjin looked around, to find nods. _ _

_ _Could she really? _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the support! I'm so happy you're enjoying this story already ^-^
> 
> _did you get the subtle hyewon? kekekeke___


	3. It was time

Yes, Hyunjin should be studying or working on her finance and accounting assignment, but there was a certain someone that wouldn’t leave her mind. 

She couldn’t shake off her friends’ words. But Heejin did _not_ have a crush on her, just like Hyunjin didn’t. Not to mention Heejin did every single one of her pet peeves: not only the dirty dishes and the hairs on the drain, she also left clothes scattered around the house, and had no consideration for how loud she blasted her music when Hyunjin was studying. 

But she was so pretty, and nice, and funny, and brought her bread so many times without her even asking for it, that Hyunjin couldn’t even be mad at her for all the things she did that annoyed her. 

In times like this, when she thought her brain would overheat and fry with the adrenaline, her piano was there to be the friend she needed. The piano was the only friend she had who wouldn’t tease her to death for what she felt. 

She stopped for a little to stretch her fingers, while wondering what to play next, when a clap made her jump and turn her head to find Heejin by her door. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, a hand on her chest. 

Hyunjin stared at her, her chin dropping further as the seconds passed, because since when Heejin wore _round glasses that looked so goddamn adorable? _“T-That’s okay, could you just knock next time?” 

“I did, but since there was no answer, I let myself in. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t not listen to you play. It was beautiful.” 

“Oh.” Hyunjin rested her hand on her neck, feeling her own pulse. The glasses really did something to her. “Thank you. I hope I wasn't bothering you.” 

“No, not at all!” Heejin shook her head. “I could listen to it all day. But I wanted to ask if you wanted to watch a movie on the TV? Tomorrow’s Saturday, so you don’t have to wake up early, and I also don’t work tomorrow.” 

“Yes, yes, sure.” 

Heejin smiled. “Great, wanna order some food?” 

“I never not want to order food.” 

And the smile grew into an ear to ear grin, making it difficult for Hyunjin to stand up. 

“Then you pick the movie,” Heejin said, skipping to the living room, phone in hands. 

No, Hyunjin did not have any sort of crush whatsoever on Heejin. The stupid smile on her face was because she was saved from her boring assignment, of course. 

And no, Hyunjin would not choose a scary movie on purpose, because she didn’t know if Heejin liked those. But, even though she had watched _The Maze Runner_ before, and insisted Heejin should watch it because it was really good, Hyunjin forgot the suspense scenes were quite intense. She could feel Heejin restless beside her, pulling on the blanket over their legs, and when Hyunjin didn’t even flinch on the jump scare, Heejin yelped and moved closer to her, holding on her arm. And if that wasn’t enough to send Hyunjin’s heart on a rampage, for all of the duration of the scene in which the main character has to run from the creepy ass monster, Heejin snaked her hand around hers, squeezing it more and more, until he was safe and she could take a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry, I was nervous,” Heejin said, removing her hand from Hyunjin’s. 

“It’s okay, there are more scenes like this one, so feel free to hold my hand whenever you want.” 

Their eyes met and even Hyunjin was surprised at how easy those words came out. Heejin nodded and drove her attention back to the tv, while Hyunjin should have done the same, but it was the first time she took such a close look at her side profile. It was, hands down, the prettiest and most absurdly perfect side profile she had ever laid her eyes on. Her nose was impossibly straight, with those glasses that Hyunjin still couldn’t get over with, _and probably would never,_ her lips, red and plump, her jawline sharp. If her face hadn’t been sculpted by the gods themselves, Hyunjin had no idea how was that even possible for a human being- 

“Yes?” Heejin turned and met her eyes. 

“N-Nothing,” Hyunjin barely mumbled, and looked ahead. 

The throbbing on her ears was so loud, she couldn’t listen to the movie, but at least she was thankful they were watching it with the lights off. Hyunjin didn’t want her to see how red her face was. 

If she’d thought things were pretty awkward already, she had no idea what was about to come up. It didn’t take long for Heejin to hold her hand again, as another intense scene approached. This time, Hyunjin wrapped her fingers around her smaller hand, and her skin felt so soft on hers. And while all Hyunjin could focus on was that alone, Heejin kept all her attention on the movie, barely blinking. 

A sniff broke the silence as the movie was ending. 

“He didn’t have to die,” Heejin mumbled, then sniffed again. 

Even in the darkness of the room, Heejin’s eyes sparkled. It was as if the whole night sky reflected on her eyes, with a shooting star rolling down her cheek. 

“I know,” Hyunjin said, still holding on her hand, but now, caressing it with her thumb. 

“At least the other jerk son of a bitch died as well.” 

Hyunjin almost laughed, surprised by her choice of words, because she had never heard her swearing or anything close to. 

“There’s a sequel, right?” 

“Yes,” Hyunjin said. “Two more, actually. They’re all out already.” 

Heejin widened her eyes. “Let’s watch them tomorrow then.” 

“I would love to.” 

\--- 

Hyunjin would appreciate if her brain shut down so she could sleep, but it preferred to imagine a hundred different scenarios for the next day. The time they would spend together, how Heejin would hold her hand again, and shift closer as they watched the movies. And maybe she could cook something for her, because she didn’t have that opportunity yet, then maybe they could go shopping for groceries, and cook together, and all of that sounded so cute and tempting, but all she wanted now was to fall asleep. 

A scream pierced her ears, making Hyunjin jolt up on her bed. Had she dreamt it? Who was screaming in the middle of the night? 

Then, she heard it again, but this time, she sent the blanket flying away and bolted out of bed, because she was sure it came from Heejin’s room. 

“Heejin?” Hyunjin called, her voice low, as she opened the door, but no answer came. Instead, Heejin grunted and kicked the blankets. 

Hyunjin slid inside and approached, squinting, so she could try and see where she went in the faint light that pierced through the blinds. 

“Heejin,” She called again, and as soon as she touched her arm, Heejin jerked upwards. 

“H-Hyunjin?” 

“Yes, it’s me,” She whispered. 

Heejin’s shallow breaths echoed in the silence, and Hyunjin wanted to hug her so bad, and tell her she was there for her, and nothing bad would happen as long as she was there. 

“Bad dream?” Was all Hyunjin could ask. 

“Yes. How did you know?” 

“Well, I heard you screaming. I thought someone had broken in or something like that.” 

“I was screaming?” Heejin sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Hyunjin.” 

“It’s okay, I was just worried. Can I help somehow?” 

“Actually, I could use some water. I’m all sweaty and thirsty.” 

“Of course. I’ll be right back.” 

As Hyunjin came back into the room with the glass of water, Heejin moved so Hyunjin could sit beside her, then handed her the glass. Her breathing had stabilized by now, but they were still in silence, save for the sound of Heejin swallowing the water. It wasn’t awkward, though, as Hyunjin thought it could be. Her eyes got used to the little light in the room, and she could see Heejin looking down at her lap. The urge to hug her felt stronger than ever, but she fought it. 

“Feeling better?” Hyunjin asked, and she nodded. “That’s good. Wanna rest?” 

Heejin hesitated, but nodded again. 

“I’ll be right there in my room if you need something. At times like this, you can forget what I said about knocking.” 

Hyunjin stood up, but a hand on her wrist stopped her from even taking a step. 

“A-Actually,” Heejin said. “Could you keep me company for a little longer?” 

She turned to find Heejin’s eyes on her, shining like before, and there was no way, ever, that Hyunjin could deny them anything. 

“I’ll stay for as long as you need.” 

“Stay the night.” 

And not even in the hundred scenarios her brain was coming up with just a while ago, she could have seen this coming. 

Yet, there she was, without a second thought, without a question, complying to her request, laying down under her blanket that felt warmer than any other. 

“I’m here,” Hyunjin whispered, feeling Heejin’s body moving closer, and her arm rested around her waist, pulling her even closer. “And I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

And the words she wanted so bad to tell her left her lips so effortlessly, because by now, she was sure this was nothing but a dream, and she better enjoy it while it lasted, because she would be laughing at herself when she woke up. 

\--- 

She blinked, and images popped on her mind. 

Right, the dream. What a good dream, though, that she didn’t mind having every night. She chuckled and shook her head on her pillow, but why did it smell different? 

And what was this weight on her waist? And this warm sensation that tickled the back of her neck? 

Hyunjin forced her eyes to open, and her whole being froze. 

This was not her room. 

She turned, as slow as she could, and used all her might to suppress a yelp. 

Heejin laid beside her, her arm around her waist. Hyunjin’s heart thumped so hard on her chest, she feared it could wake her up. 

Embarrassment washed over her. She did say all those things. Well, time to deal with the consequences, which honestly, couldn’t be better. 

How was it possible for someone to look so pretty while sleeping? And she looked so peaceful, like she never woke up in the middle of night screaming with nightmares. 

Heejin moved, and Hyunjin panicked. Should she pretend to be sleeping? Should she turn around _and_ pretend to be sleeping? But it was too late, she had opened her eyes and found her staring. 

“Hey,” Heejin yawned. “Good morning.” 

“G-Good morning,” Hyunjin said, and how could Heejin be so calm?! Right, because she didn’t have a stupid, huge crush- no, wait, what crush? 

“I’m sorry, you know, about the nightmares and making you sleep here.” 

“Oh, no, it’s nothing, really. Anytime,” Hyunjin said, then widened her eyes. “I-I mean, if it helped, I don’t mind, because of the n-nightmares, of course.” 

Heejin stared at her and laughed. 

“Thank you, Hyunjin. Actually... you did help. I slept really well and no more bad dreams. Did you sleep well? I’m sorry if I annoyed you-” 

“No! No, I slept super well. This bed is very comfy, so is the pillow, and you- I mean, you didn’t annoy me.” 

Hyunjin could feel her face warm up by the second, and she could use some teleportation power now. 

“I-I’m gonna prepare breakfast, you can rest a bit more,” She said, getting off bed, and even almost running away, she could still hear a faint giggle. 

Hyunjin leaned with her elbows on the kitchen counter and hid her face on her hands. She took a deep breath, another, then splashed her face with cold water. 

_What the hell._

She was well aware that _everything _had happened, but _how? _

_Focus, __Hyunjin__._

Maybe... Maybe it was time to accept the fact that she had a crush on her. No, that she had a _huge big ass_ crush on Jeon Heejin. 

_Fucking shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally Hyunjin kekekeke but what is she gonna do with this _brand new_ information? __
> 
> _ _ Hope y'all liked the fluff, and I hope you're prepared for more c: _ _


	4. How do you like your coffee?

She hid her face again and shook her head. She had seen it coming, there was no way she didn’t. She was just trying to deny it because it would be easier to not have it. But was it so bad? What if her friends were right? 

Heejin did bring her bread, knowing it was her favorite thing in the world (okay, maybe not anymore, and she couldn’t believe she just had that thought). Heejin did ask her to watch a movie, and held her hand, and asked her to spend the night with her, and cuddled,_ and holy shit could she really have a crush on __Hyunjin__ as well?!_

Hyunjin checked the time on the wall clock. It was 9 in the morning, on a Saturday, and there she was, accepting her fate in the kitchen, when she should be making breakfast. 

That’s it! She already said she would prepare breakfast, why not surprise Heejin with breakfast in bed? For the first time in her sad and miserable lesbian life, shouldn’t she fight for it, when, also for the first time, there was a chance that it was _not _one sided? 

But what if she was seeing things? What if her friends were wrong? What if Heejin was just being friendly, and didn’t see Hyunjin in any other way? They were roommates, Hyunjin could ruin their friendship and turn things awkward, and then they would have to _literally _livewith it. 

But if she didn’t try, she could never know. Maybe Hyunjin could make her fall for her. That’s possible, people don’t have to be madly in love to start a relationship, it can be built over time and let the feelings flourish, and why was she already thinking of a relationship?! 

Hyunjin grunted and let her body fall to the nearest chair, then let her forehead meet the table, with a loud bang. 

“Are you okay?” 

She straightened herself even faster, and found Heejin by the bathroom door, in her black pajamas, staring at her with an irked eyebrow. 

“Yes, yes, I am, I just, felt dizzy for a second. Don’t worry, I’m fine, I just need to eat something, so go back to bed while I prepare everything, alright?” 

“You sure? I can help you.” 

“I’m sure.” Hyunjin stood up and nodded at her. 

It took her a couple seconds, but Heejin nodded back and entered the bathroom at last. Hyunjin cupped her own cheeks, gave them a couple soft slaps, and turned to the kitchen. She would cook a breakfast Heejin wouldn’t forget, at least until Hyunjin cooked one even better. 

Scrambled eggs, french toast, yogurt, fruit, tea for herself, and the essential for Heejin – a hot cup of coffee. Hyunjin mentally thanked Jinsol for teaching her all of that, when she prepared breakfast for Jungeun as she stayed the night. 

For sure Heejin was expecting Hyunjin to go call her when breakfast was ready, because her chin dropped when Hyunjin entered her room with the tray in hands. 

“Oh my god, Hyunjin, you didn’t need to,” Heejin said, sitting and helping her set the tray on the bed. 

“But I wanted to. I made you coffee.” 

Heejin looked at all the food and her chin dropped. 

“Thank you so much, Hyunjin. I never had such a pretty breakfast, let alone having it brought to my bed. You’re so kind.” 

Hyunjin smiled, not bothering to hide how happy that made her feel. “I’m glad, then. I hope everything’s good and up to your expectation.” 

“When you said you were going to prepare breakfast, I expected like, a bowl of cereal or a sandwich, not all of this! This is way above any expectation,” Heejin said before attacking her toast. She munched on it for a second and hummed, her eyebrows drawing together. “It’s delicious!” 

Hyunjin could stay and watch her eat all morning, but that would be weird, so she bit her toast, and was surprised as well. “It actually is.” 

Then, the ultimate challenge, the coffee. Hyunjin observed as Heejin took it to her lips, blew it a couple times, and took a sip. 

“I’m impressed. I’m very selective with my coffee, and even though this tastes different from mine, it’s still good.” 

“I’ll do better next time,” Hyunjin blurted. 

Heejin stared at her, taking another sip. “It took me a while to master the perfect coffee for my taste, but if you want to try again, I accept.” She smiled. 

“Why do you like coffee so much?” 

“I didn’t use to like it, but I got used to it.” 

“If you didn’t like it, why did you keep drinking it?” 

Heejin paused, looking at her eyes, then looked down and pierced a strawberry with a fork. “Bad nights of sleep. I had to stay awake for classes somehow, so I relied on coffee. It helped, and it still helps.” 

Hyunjin kept quiet for a few seconds, observing her munching quietly on her fruit. “Nightmares?” 

“Not only.” 

Why did it feel like Hyunijn was going somewhere she shouldn’t? But also, why did she feel like asking more? She didn’t want to be intrusive, but... 

“I-If you wanna talk about something, know that I’m here,” she said. “I’m not saying right now, I’m saying like, if you ever feel down, or just need someone to talk or rant, or some company, I’m here.” 

They stared at each other, and Heejin smiled at her. “Thank you. It’s just that, aside from the nightmares, I have bad insomnia. That’s why I can’t sleep much even if I go to bed early, and it’s hard to wake up. Today wasn’t so hard, though.” 

Hyunjin gulped and tried to look anywhere but Heejin’s smile. “I-I’m sorry to hear that. That’s why you normally listen to music until late?” 

“Oh my god, I’m sorry, does it bother you?” 

“No! No, it’s not about that, it doesn’t. I was just wondering.” 

“Then you are right.” 

“Has that been happening for a long time?” 

Heejin sighed. “Unfortunately.” 

There was a pause, because Hyunjin had no idea what to say more. She wanted, somehow, to comfort her, or understand her better, but how? 

“Enough about me,” Heejin looked up at her again. “Tell me something about you.” 

“L-Like what?” 

“For how long have you played the piano?” 

“Since I was seven.” 

Heejin widened her eyes. “No wonder you play so well.” 

Hyunjin felt her lips stretching into a big, shy smile. “I’m only average, and I just play for fun. But I’m glad I never gave up on it. I still love playing it and it helps me relax a lot.” 

“I’m glad as well,” Heejin said. “Actually... Whenever you play it and I happen to be home, I turn off my music so I can listen to it.” 

“I-I can do it for you!” Hyunjin blurted. 

Their eyes locked once again, Heejin’s smile growing as she tucked a dark lock behind her ear. “If you’re offering it like that, I won’t refuse.” 

“Whenever you want, you can come to my room and I’ll play you something.” 

Maybe Hyunjin was being too straightforward. But maybe it could work. And she couldn’t waste away all that boldness that she had no idea where it came from. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

And she did. Later on that same day, after making lunch together, as Hyunjin’s mind had imagined before, and watching the two other _The Maze Runner_ movies, including bearing with her heart hurting on her chest whenever Heejin held her hand, and snuggled closed, and then listening to Heejin’s ranting and crying over the ending, there she was, knocking on her door. 

“Are you busy now?” Heejin asked, peeking inside. 

“Not much,” Hyunjin said, closing her marketing book. 

“Then, play me something.” 

It didn’t matter if she had an exam coming up soon when Heejin smiled at her, eager to listen to her playing. 

“Sure.” 

Hyunjin sat in front of her keyboard, thinking of what she should play. 

“You really love cats,” Heejin said, sitting on her bed. 

“Hm? D-Do I?” 

“Well, look at your pajamas.” 

“Pusheen is cute.” She looked down at her own clothes. 

“It is, and these cat plushies are as well.” Heejin grabbed one, the exact one Hyunjin always slept with. 

Whenever Hyunjin found Jinsol on her bed, because she claimed was comfier than her own, she would always drag her out and tell her for the nth time she hates people sitting on her bed. But seeing Heejin sit so comfortably, legs crossed, and her plushie against her chest, made her heart flutter. 

And no, she didn’t hate Jinsol. She just found the idea of Heejin on her bed, the both of them in her room very... cute. 

“W-What do you want me to play?” Hyunjin asked, trying to ignore her own mind. 

“I don’t know, I don’t really know many classical songs by name.” 

If Hyunjin wanted to impress her, she knew what she had to do. She nodded and looked down at her hands, then took a deep breath, and let her fingers do the work. 

A couple minutes later, when she was done, she looked at her side to find Heejin staring at her, her eyes gleaming more than usual. 

“Did you like it?” 

“I loved it,” Heejin said. “What song was that? I didn’t recognize it.” 

“That’s because it’s an original.” 

“An original?!” Heejin’s mouth fell open. “So not only do you play, you're a composer too? You’re so talented, Hyunjin!” 

“Oh, n-no, it’s nothing special.” 

“It is, it’s beautiful! Do you have more?” 

“I might.” 

Heejin pouted, and it probably was the cutest thing Hyunjin had seen so far. “Please?” 

“For another time.” 

Heejin glared at her. “I’ll remember that, Hyunjin.” 

She didn’t know why, but whenever Heejin called her name, if felt like if a bit of her soul left her body, until Heejin would become her death eventually. 

Wow, maybe Hyunjin was thinking way ahead of time, wasn’t she? 

“Do you have any other talents?” Heejin asked. 

“I bark.” 

_Please don’t bark at her, _was what echoed in her mind the following second, as she remembered Jinsol’s words, but it was too late now. She could only smile and pretend it was fine, when she wanted to hit herself now. 

“You what?” Heejin wanted to laugh already, and without any further ado, Hyunjin let herself be possessed by her dog alter-ego, barking exactly like a dog would sound, and Heejin’s eyes wouldn’t widen more. “Oh my god, how in the world do you do that?” 

“I don’t know, I just... do it.” 

“It’s so real, I could swear a dog was in here.” 

“I usually did this to annoy Jinsol, and there was this time one of the neighbors told her that she should train her dog better so it wouldn’t bark so much and so loud.” 

Heejin exploded in a fit of loud laughs, letting her body fall to the bed, and Hyunjin couldn’t help noticing that, even though her bed was smaller, there was enough space beside her for her to lay- 

“I can’t believe it! That’s too funny.” 

“Yeah, we laughed a lot.” 

“You seem to be very good friends.” 

“Well, she’s my best friend, and we’ve been friends for many years. Even though she’s older than me, she’s like a baby, and most of the times I was the one taking care of her when she was around. She’s great company and we lived well together, but now she’s with her girlfriend, Jungeun. I just hope she’s not giving her a hard time,” Hyunjin said, chuckling and shaking her head. 

“I see. That’s cute.” 

“But I love having you as my roommate,” she added, and Heejin looked up at her again. “You’re fun to be around, and we go along really well. I wouldn’t want anybody else as my roommate.” 

A small smile returned to Heejin’s lips. 

“H-How about I play something else for you?” 

“I would love to.” 

Hyunjin focused all her attention on her keyboard, trying to hide how fuming red her face was. She played the first thing that came to her mind, and let the sound of the melody fill the room. 

This song she chose on a whim was longer than her original, and when she finished, she expected Heejin to be staring at her with the same shining eyes, but instead, they were closed. She had fallen asleep on her bed,_ under the blankets,_ hugging her cat plushie, and now,_ this_ was the cutest thing Hyunjin had ever seen. Didn’t she say she usually had insomnias at night? Playing the piano helped that much? Hyunjin didn’t mind playing it every day for her, if that meant she slept better. 

It would be a crime to wake her up, so Hyunjin stood up and was about to move to Heejin’s room when she stopped by the door and looked back. There was enough space for the both of them, just like she had noticed before, and that was _her _bed after all. It wasn’t like they hadn’t slept together the previous night. Sleeping another one wouldn’t do any harm. 

So, Hyunjin turned off the light and as careful as she could, she laid down, facing her. The glowing stars on her ceiling casted enough light to reflect on Heejin’s face. Hyunjin moved away a piece of hair that had fallen to her cheek, tucking it behind her ear, and her skin felt so soft, _too soft_ for her not to rest her hand on her neck, her fingertips caressing her hair. Heejin could wake up at any second, but Hyunjin didn’t care. All she cared about was approaching to plant a long kiss on her cheek, and to whisper “Good night, Heejin,” near her ear. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this too much fluff or are you handling it well? c':
> 
> I'll give you guys a hint... the next chapter will be very important.
> 
> Thank you all for the support! ^-^


	5. Hey you

Hyunjin woke up with a lack of warmth beside her. Where was Heejin? It was Sunday, and Hyunjin could use some cuddling right now. 

She jerked up. Did she scare Heejin away? She stood up from her bed and found a note on the dining table. 

_Sorry for falling asleep on your bed, I slept really well, __tho__, thanks to you_   
_I had to leave earlier, have work today! I’ll be back later_   
_Don’t miss me too much, but if you do, you know where to find me. <3_

_P.S.: I want you to know a secret. Fresh bread @ __ViViD__8__am, 1__3__pm, __6__pm ;)_

Hyunjin blinked, once, twice, then sat down, and read it again. 

She clicked her tongue. _Miss her?_ It was just a few hours, for god’s sake, Hyunjin wasn’t _that _weak. 

It was not because she missed Heejin that she was dragging Jinsol to the coffee shop where she worked. It was because they just had lunch and Hyunjin had a sudden craving for their chocolate bread. 

“You really missed me that much,” Heejin said, with a big, evident smirk plastered on her lips, as soon as Hyunjin stood in front of her. 

“I missed the chocolate bread, and it’s just past one, and you said it was going to come out fresh around this hour, so...” 

Heejin irked an eyebrow and leaned forward on the counter. “I’m afraid people really crave dessert on Sundays, because this batch is already gone.” 

Hyunjin’s features died down, and Heejin laughed. 

“It isn’t funny.” She pouted, crossing her arms. 

“It is, you know why?” Heejin asked as she fetched something from a cabinet, then turned and Hyunjin widened her eyes. “Because I knew you would be coming, so I saved you one.” 

“You...” Hyunjin looked down at her bread, then up at Heejin, and repeated a few times, until someone cleared her throat behind her. 

“Are you done flirting?” Jinsol asked near her ear. 

Hyunjin shot her a glare that could burn through her skull, and returned her attention to Heejin. 

“I’ll ignore the fact that you’re completely right, and thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for saving me this bread. How did you even know I would want this one?” 

“You mentioned it like, five times yesterday.” 

“Oh.” Hyunjin lowered her head, scratching her neck. 

Then, her body was pushed away. 

“Hi Heejin! I’m Jinsol, I’m assuming Aeong told you about me already. Can you please get me an iced latte, please? She pays.” Jinsol winked at her. 

“Hey, when did I say I would buy you coffee?” 

“I did, and I’m gonna get us a table,” Jinsol winked at her. “Bye Heejin!” 

Hyunjin shook her head. “See what I went through? I’m happy you replaced her.” 

“So this is the Jinsol whose room I occupied?” Heejin shrugged, holding a laugh. “Well you did say you were the one taking care of her.” 

“Yeah... This is not taking care, it’s taking advantage of my kindness.” 

Heejin held her laugh for a little longer as Hyunjin took her card from her wallet. 

“And she called you Aeong?” 

“Oh, yeah, my friends call me that. I make that sound often. It’s supposed to be like a cat, or whatever. You know, it could mean anything I want and they always understand.” 

“A cat that also barks.” Heejin laughed at last, giving her card back. 

“If you put it that way.” 

“Then let me hear it.” Heejin said while holding her bread in her hand. 

“W-what?” 

“I want to hear that ‘aeong’ thing, I bet it’s super cute. I won’t give you your bread unless you do.” She smirked. 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened and her head tilted back in shock. No way, not in front of all these people. But how could she not when Heejin asked? 

“Aeong,” she whispered, her head low to hide her red cheeks, as she extended Heejin a hand. 

“It’s even cuter than I thought!” Heejin squealed and brought her hand to her mouth. “Okay, I could do this all day, but there’s customers in line, so I guess... Enjoy your meal, Aeong?” 

Had she just called her- 

“Right, of course. We’ll be right there, so... yeah, take care. And thank you again for the bread.” 

Heejin nodded and Hyunjin went to sit with Jinsol, still not ready for the incoming teasing. 

“Kim Hyunjin,” Jinsol started, shaking her head. “Look at you.” 

“What?” Hyunjin rolled her eyes, Heejin’s voice calling her ‘Aeong’ still ringing in her ears. 

“She’s really pretty.” 

Hyunjin took a bite on her bread. “Is that all?” 

“Do you want me to tease you more? I was going to spare you that, but if you insis-” 

“No, I’m fine.” 

Jinsol chuckled. “Seriously though, you look cute together. It seems like your efforts are paying off.” 

“What do you mean?” 

She sipped on her coffee. “I mean, the way she looks at you says something. It reminds me when me and Jungeun were at this stage. All the flirting, you know.” 

“You really think... I have a chance?” 

“Have you barked at her?” 

“Uh... yeah.” Hyunjin scratched her neck. “Don’t judge me.” 

“If she hasn’t stopped talking to you after that, then you definitely have a chance.” 

Hyunjin stole a glance at Heejin, as she took a costumer’s order, and when she felt the warmth in her heart creeping into her lips, she looked down at the bread in her hands. 

“I’m proud of you, kid.” Jinsol reached forward to pat her head. 

“Kid my ass.” 

\--- 

The week went by faster than Hyunjin could grasp on, and she missed sleeping with Heejin already. She was glad that she was sleeping better, after that night when Heejin arrived late and Hyunjin was having tea. 

“Why don’t you drink some tea before going to bed? It helps you fall asleep faster and sleep better. And sleeping more and better means that waking up is not so hard, and that you’ll have more energy, and therefore, you don’t need so much caffeine. Caffeine addiction is a vicious cycle. The more you drink, the harder it is for you to fall asleep, making you need more of it during the day.” 

Heejin thought for a bit, and Hyunjin couldn’t be happier that she accepted having tea. Since then Heejin had indeed slept a bit better, and was trying to reduce the amount of coffee she drank daily. 

And as a way to thank her, the next day Heejin arrived home with two matching keyrings, one being a cute cat, for Hyunjin, and a rabbit for herself. 

It was Friday now, and wouldn’t it be great to watch a movie? Hyunjin knocked on Heejin’s door and after an answer, she peeked inside and was glad she was holding on the doorknob. Heejin stood in front of the mirror, buttoning up a white shirt, pulled inside a red skirt. Her hair was pulled back at the sides, and she had clearly put some effort in her curls. 

“H-Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie or something.” 

“Oh, I’m going to Ryujin’s birthday party tonight. She’s a friend from high school. I’m sorry, I think I forgot to warn you,” Heejin said, turning to face Hyunjin. 

“Right, it’s okay! I’ll go watch something then, and let you finish getting ready,” Hyunjin said, taking a step back and closing the door. 

By the time she had chosen what to watch, a new anime that released that season and really got her attention, Heejin’s door opened. If Hyunjin thought that Heejin already looked gorgeous in her everyday casual and kind of boyish style, with baggy pants and sweaters or plaid shirts, this chic Heejin left her breathless. The makeup, not too heavy, but enough to make her eyes even prettier, with coral eye shadow, and red lipstick. 

“I’ll be back late, so, this time, you don’t really need to worry or stay up waiting.” 

“R-Right, noted.” 

“See you tomorrow,” Heejin said, waving at her as she opened the front door. 

“Have fun at the party!” 

Heejin gave her a smile before leaving, and Hyunjin sighed. She really didn’t feel like spending her Friday night home alone, but maybe it could be a good opportunity to finally finish her finance assignment that she had been delaying for too long. After a few episodes, of course. 

If only she could. She did, until a certain point. But she forced herself to push Heejin to the back of her mind, and put all her focus on her laptop, forcing her fingers to type. 

But when the thought of Heejin started becoming too much to bear, she gave up. Instead, she grabbed her pen and scribbled on her book some random things going thought her head. 

She didn’t intend to, but those thoughts somehow came in the form of lyrics, so she took the momentum to move to her keyboard. Maybe she could make them fit to one of the melodies she had composed. Hyunjin let her fingers play the song they knew too well for her too need to look down, and as she played, she sang what she just wrote. 

_Hey you, do you know my heart?_   
_These days, I’m like a child every day_   
_Hiding as I look at you_   
_You__, are you hearing my words?_   
_I’m still not brave yet_   
_So I’m silently leaving again_

_I close my eyes but I still think of you_   
_What do I do now?_   
_Everyone calls me a fool_   
_But I don’t expect anything_

She wouldn’t wait forever. She didn’t want to, because she wanted to spend even more time with her, in a different way. Without the need to watch a thriller movie to hold hands, without the need for Heejin to have nightmares so Hyunjin could sleep beside her. She wanted to hug her, cuddle on the couch watching a cringey romantic comedy, tell her lame and sweet nothings, then laugh at herself, but it would be worth it because Heejin would laugh as well. 

Hyunjin wanted to know the feeling of Heejin's lips on hers. 

She cringed at her herself, standing up and hiding her face in her hands. There she was, having a mental breakdown at almost one in the morning, while Heejin was at some party, having fun, and of course Hyunjin wasn’t something on her mind right now. 

It felt like her heart was going to explode if she didn’t let her feelings out--- 

The sound of the front door opening echoed in the walls, and a rush of adrenaline pulsed thoughts Hyunjin’s veins. 

It was now. She was ready to pour out everything she had inside, and she would let Heejin know about all of her feelings. Without thinking twice, she opened her door. 

And as fast as the courage took control of her body, all of her hopes were crushed right in front of her eyes, as she watched Heejin kissing a girl she had never seen. They were so immersed in it, they didn’t even notice Hyunjin standing, staring at them as they stumbled on each other's feet, trying to find their way to Heejin’s room, until they entered and the door closed, the sound of the key locking it too audible for Hyunjin’s ears. 

Shame seemed to crawl through every blood vessel in Hyunjin’s body. 

Shame of ever believing that Heejin could feel the same for a weirdo like her. 

Using the remaining strength her legs could gather, she dragged herself to bed. If shame was the only thing she could feel, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. But the sadness that squeezed her heart was so much stronger, it went overboard through her eyes. 

Hyunjin didn’t know why she was so surprised, disappointed, or sad. It was her fault for having such high hopes. Her friends’ as well. The ones who told her what she wanted to hear, but for what? 

She didn’t remember ever crying for someone. Maybe because all the crushes she had before were only that, mere crushes. This time was different. She had fallen for Heejin way deeper than a crush, but now she had to deal with the consequences. 

Her cat plushie was squeezed against her chest, and Hyunjin still could faintly feel Heejin’s scent on it, but nothing compared with what that girl felt of Heejin right now. 

With every giggle she heard from the other side of the wall, her tears flowed freer. With every thump on the wall, her body shook and curled tighter over itself. With every faint noise that escaped along with their breaths, her will to take everything she owned and move away overnight without ever saying a word to her or having to see her again grew. 

But there was one thing Hyunjin wanted right now more than to disappear into a black hole, and it was to be the girl who had no idea how lucky she was to feel Heejin’s body that close to hers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> c':  
keke


	6. No more

Hyunjin didn’t remember the last time she slept so bad. She was glad it was morning already and she could leave her bed and go through a new day, in which she knew Heejin didn’t feel anything for her. Scratch that, she was not glad. In fact, spending the day in her bed seemed like a good option, but her bladder was begging her otherwise. 

It was still early, and after leaning her ear on her door and not hearing a sound, she assumed it was safe to go now. 

She was wrong. 

“Oh, good morning!” The girl who spent the night where Hyunjin was supposed to said. 

“H-Hi,” Hyunjin mumbled, rushing to the bathroom. 

She was not supposed to meet _her_, for god’s sake. Just like she was not supposed to spend her time locked in the bathroom, so she left and was about to step in her room when the girl spoke. 

“I made you tea.” 

Hyunjin froze, only her neck turning to face the girl. “Why?” 

“Well since I slept over, I thought I could do something nice for my hosts to compensate for the burden and the water I used when showering. Heejin told me you don’t like coffee, so I made some tea while you were in the bathroom,” she said, putting a cup of Hyunjin’s favorite tea on the table, along with some freshly made toast, judging from the steam that came from them. “I’m Kim Jiwoo, nice to meet you, Hyunjin!” 

Jiwoo smiled, bowing at 90 degrees, and it seemed like the sun had just risen in the sky from how bright her smile was. 

And why would Heejin tell her she didn’t like coffee? 

“Nice to meet you too.” Hyunjin reluctantly bowed back. 

“Come and eat, or else it will go cold!” Jiwoo pulled a chair for her. 

“T-Thank you.” 

Wait a second. Why was Jiwoo being so nice to someone she just met? And she was so cute, her reddish hair pulled in a ponytail and bangs just above her big, round eyes that turned into crescent moons when she smiled. Hyunjin was supposed to be angry, mad at her, but she couldn’t. 

“I’m sorry but, how do you know my name?” Hyunjin asked before sipping on her tea. 

“You see, I was asking Heekkie how she was doing since she moved and she kept talking about how the house was so great and close to work, and her cute roommate called Hyunjin, and...” 

Hot tea burned Hyunjin’s tongue as her arm jerked, making her hiss and almost curse. _Heekkie__? Cute... what?_

“Are you okay?” Jiwoo asked, rushing to her side. 

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry, I didn’t expect the tea to be so hot.” 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I messed up.” 

“No, it’s not your fault, don’t worry,” Hyunjin said, trying to calm the girl down. “B-But you were saying, about Heejin. What exactly... did she tell you?” 

“Oh, she told me that you’re a cat and a dog at the same time! You sound like a real dog and a real cat! That’s amazing! Can you show me?” 

A door opened, and both girls snapped their heads to its sound. As soon as Hyunjin’s eyes laid on Heejin, she felt something new. _Now _she felt angry. Like it was all her fault. 

“Good morning, Heekkie! I made you coffee, and your toast is ready as well, come join us!” 

Heejin hesitated, but nodded and sat in front of Hyunjin, mumbling a good morning, to which Hyunjin answered the same way, but avoiding her eyes. 

What did Heejin tell Jiwoo about her? Why was she talking about her that much even? Why would she brag about her, give her mixed signals, to bring some girl home to sleep with? What was she trying to do? 

“What is this silence? Cheer up both of you, it’s a beautiful morning!” Jiwoo said, blinding Hyunjin with another of her smiles. 

Hyunjin forced a smile and her eyes met Heejin’s for a second, igniting another wave of anger in her body. And why was Heejin acting like that? Wasn’t she supposed to be happy? Hyunjin bet she slept wonders with Jiwoo’s company after some fun. 

“Are you feeling alright, Heekkie?” Jiwoo asked, resting a hand on her shoulder. 

“Not really, my head hurts.” Heejin massaged her temples. 

“You should take something. Do you have anything for hangovers?” 

_Oh, they were drinking as well. _

“I don’t know,” Heejin said. “I-Is there something I can take, Hyunjin?” 

“No.” 

“It’s okay, I’ll go out and buy something.” 

“Oh, there’s no need, Chuu, I’ll be fine.” 

_Chuu__? Oh, please._

“Where can I go get some medicine?” 

“There's a convenience store two blocks away,” Hyunjin said, taking another sip. 

“Okay, thank you, Hyunjin, and I’ll be right back!” 

It should be Hyunjin taking care of Heejin, not her. But why was Hyunjin wanting to take care of her after what she did? 

The air in the room felt so thick Hyunjin had trouble breathing. Or maybe it was just her because her chest still felt too tight. 

“So, you met Jiwoo,” Heejin said. 

“Yeah.” 

“I’m sorry, you must have been very confused when you saw her-” 

“Not really, I saw you two arrive yesterday, but you were too drunk to notice me.” 

There was a pause, and when Hyunjin peeked at Heejin, the color in her face had drained, and it didn’t matter how angry Hyunjin could be, she wondered if she was actually feeling sick. 

“You okay?” She asked. 

“Y-Yes, it’s just my head, but I’ll be fine when Chuu arrives with the medicine.” 

“Of course,” Hyunjin forced a smile. “You two seem like very good friends.” 

“Yeah, we’ve been friends since high school. I know this is shocking, but Jiwoo is actually my senior. Crazy, right? With how young she looks.” 

“Yeah, crazy.” 

With the silence that installed, Hyunjin only fiddled with the wing of her mug, staring down at her tea, the sounds of Heejin lethargically biting on her toast annoying her to a disproportionate extent. 

“I know I look like shit right now, but you don’t look much better. Bad night of sleep?” Heejin asked with her mouth half full. 

“Yup.” 

“What happened?” 

Hyunjin gripped her mug tighter, unbothered by the searing heat of it, which was no match to the heat radiating to her face. 

“I don’t know Heejin, possibly someone was having sex on the other side of my wall in the middle of the night, and not even bothering to be discrete about it.” 

Heejin seemed to have turned to stone. Hyunjin regretted the harshness of her words for a split second, but then let the feeling of anger that it wasn’t her wash over once more. 

“I’m so sorry, Hyunjin. I don’t know what to say. I didn’t think the walls were that thin. I’m so, so, so, so sorry you couldn’t sleep because of me.” Heejin let her head hit the table. “Damn, this is embarrassing.” 

“And it should be. You brought someone home that I don’t know without telling me, and to do such a thing. I couldn’t sleep!” 

“I know, Hyunjin!” She lifted her head to face her. “I said I was sorry. We drank a bit-” 

“A bit,” Hyunjin mumbled into the air. 

“And as far as I know, you never told me I couldn’t bring visitors home, and Jiwoo isn’t some stranger I met at the party, she is a friend I’ve known for years. I trust her and wouldn’t bring anyone here that I didn’t trust. Haven’t Chaewon or Yerim or Hyejoo been here too?” 

“Actually, I’ve never brought them here to get laid, no. I don’t go and do that with my _friends_.” 

Heejin scoffed, and as Hyunjin looked at her, the pieces that were once her heart reduced to dust. She had never seen Heejin’s features like that, scrunching in anger, her eyebrows drawn together. 

The bell rang, and Heejin almost threw her chair down from how fast she stood up. Jiwoo was back, probably saving Hyunjin from Heejin’s unknown wrath. Did Hyunjin go too far? 

“Are you busy today, Chuu?” Heejin asked, accepting the medicine from her. 

“Not really, wanna do something?” 

“Yes, let’s go for a walk or something and then have lunch with me, I don’t feel like staying home until my shift starts,” Heejin said, throwing Hyunjin a look. It hurt. 

“Of course! Hyunjin, come with us!” 

“I-I’m going to have lunch with some friends, but thank you for the invitation.” 

Jiwoo pouted for a second, then smiled brightly again. “Okay, Heekkie, go get ready!” 

Heejin nodded, and as her eyes met Hyunjin’s, a forced smile creeped on her lips. Without a word, she rushed to her room. 

Hyunjin looked down, resting her forehead on her hands. 

“Does your head hurt as well?” Jiwoo asked. 

“No, I’m just tired.” 

“Oh no, did I wake you up while making breakfast? I’m so sorry.” 

“I’m just stressed out about this week, with the exams and all. You didn’t, don’t worry.” 

“Oh, I feel you. You should go try to sleep some more so you can have lots of energy to study! When I’m studying, it always helps if I sleep at least seven hours a night.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but show a faint smile, because she had to admit, Jiwoo was impossible to be mad at or feel anything negative towards. 

“Yeah, it’s better. Have fun with Heejin.” Hyunjin stood up, and noticed Jiwoo doing the dishes. _Why did she have to be like this?! _“You don’t need to do that, I’ll do it later.” 

“It’s okay! Rest well and have fun with your friends too!” 

She waved Jiwoo goodbye and locked herself in her room. 

What friends? She wasn’t going to see anyone. All she wanted was to get under her sheets and disappear. 

But maybe calling Jinsol wasn’t such a bad idea. Or not, because she didn’t want to hear that she was wrong. That she ruined everything, that she was rude, judgmental, and overreacted. 

Because she knew that was the truth, but it was easier to believe otherwise, so it wouldn’t hurt so much. It was easier to blame Heejin and keep it like that, so she wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt and regret. 

Since that day, there was no more cooking and having meals together. No more bread brought by Heejin almost everyday, and no, what mattered here was not the bread itself. No more watching movies, no drinking tea together, even though she still waited in silence in her room, because she had to make sure Heejin was home to be able to sleep. No more barking, or aeonging. No more playing piano for her and having her sitting on her bed hugging her cat plushie, talking about whatever. No more playing piano altogether, because the memories were too painful. 

But it was still easier like that. It was easier to avoid each other when the both of them were home, than accepting things as they were. 

\--- 

“Hyunjin,” Chaewon called and grabbed her hand, stopping her from almost running outside, like she had been doing the past couple weeks. “You’re driving me crazy. Stop running away like that! What did I do? Are you mad at me?” 

Hyunjin took a deep, silent breath, and turned to her. “For the, I already lost the count, time, nothing’s wrong and I am not mad at you.” 

“Then what’s happening?” 

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” 

“If you don’t wanna talk, how about that chocolate bread from ViViD? That always cheers you up. I bet you’re in such a bad mood because you haven’t had that bread in a while.” 

“What are you trying to say?” Hyunjin rolled her eyes, escaping her grip. 

“You stopped going there, there must be a reason.” 

There were times Hyunjin was thankful Chaewon was so clueless. 

“Let’s go there, then-” 

“No.” Hyunjin walked past her. 

“Why not?” Chaewon walked beside her. “We’ll go there, you’ll eat your chocolate bread, and see Heejin!” 

Hyunjin clenched her jaw, forcing her legs to keep moving. 

“Oh, I see what happened. Something went wrong with Heejin, and so you’re not having chocolate bread anymore because you don’t wanna see her!” 

“Hyunjin not eating bread?” Yerim’s voice appeared from the other corridor. “She’s sick! Or on a diet? Please tell me you’re not thinking of that. I’ll fight you.” 

Hyunjin halted, head down. That was the last thing she needed. 

“Fight? Who do I need to punch?” Hyejoo said. 

“Hyunjin. She stopped eating chocolate bread because she’s dieting.” 

“Dieting? You can’t be that dumb, Yerim. She stopped eating bread because it reminds her of Heejin and they had an argument.” 

“Can you all just stop?!” Hyunjin spit, fists balled beside her body. “Yes, that’s true. Please stop telling me to go there. I don’t wanna talk about it.” 

“I’m sorry, we didn’t know,” Chaewon said, resting a hand on her shoulder. 

“Well, I did. It was pretty obvious,” Hyejoo mumbled under her breath. 

“Why don’t we go eat?” Yerim suggested, holding Hyunjin’s hand. “Somewhere where they have bread better than ViViD. Nobody in this world is worthy enough to make you stop eating bread, Hyunjin. Love yourself.” 

They walked to the best coffee shop around campus, the one Hyunjin used to get bread from, picked some food, and sat where it was the quietest. Hyunjin mustered up courage to talk and explained everything, from that night to their argument. Her friends listened to everything in silence, different reactions shaping their features. 

“Maybe it wasn’t the best choice to bring someone home without telling you-” 

“Yes,” Hyunjin interrupted Hyejoo. 

“And I don’t think we can possibly know how painful it had been for you to see and... hear that-” 

“Yup.” 

“But she didn’t owe you any explanation because you’re not in a relationship, so she did nothing wrong, and you were kinda rude.” 

Yerim and Chaewon nodded with an apologetic smile, and Hyunjin sighed. 

“I know.” Hyunjin looked down. “But look, this is too confusing! She looked like she was interested in me, and I even thought I had a chance, but then she brings someone else home and the next morning Jiwoo tells me she’d been bragging about me the night before? I mean, what?!” 

“So? Just because you wouldn’t hook up with someone else while you were interested in a person, it doesn’t mean everyone thinks the way you do,” Hyejoo continued, “Some people separate both things strictly.” 

“And at least you know for sure that she’s gay,” Yerim added. “Yaaay!” 

Hyunjin glared at her. “What does that matter, I’ve ruined everything already.” 

“Just apologize,” Chaewon said. 

“Saying sorry won’t save everything, it isn’t that easy.” 

“I’m not saying that you should just say sorry. You need to apologize and explain your feelings. And you know what that means.” 

Hyunjin sighed. “Jinsol said the same.” Yes, because on that same day, Hyunjin had told Jinsol all about it, or maybe more like Jinsol made her spit everything. That girl could sense something was off with Hyunjin from miles away and wouldn’t give up until she had an explanation. When Hyunjin mentioned the name Jiwoo, Jinsol laughed, claiming Jungeun’s best friend was called Jiwoo. Then, they realized it was the same person, and in fact, Jiwoo and Jungeun had also been together like that in the past. What a small world. “Then what?” 

“There’s no way to know until you talk to her. But you need to. I don't think it can get any worse than it is right now,” Hyejoo said, “the worst that can happen is you being rejected, but I’m sure that she’ll accept your apology and you guys can be friends again and not have that atmosphere home.” 

“Uwaa...” Chaewon wowed, looking at Hyejoo with bright eyes. “You’re so wise.” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes, and they were in their world again, as Hyejoo barely couldn’t contain a shy smile and Chaewon held on her arm, resting her head on her shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you didn't expect the girl to be Jiwoo kekeke


	7. That’s one lucky person

It was always easier said than done. If Heejin barely even looked at her, and they didn’t have a proper conversation in who knew how long, how was Hyunjin going to apologize? 

Obviously, sprinting to her room every time she noticed Heejin was walking around the house wouldn’t get her anywhere near what she wanted to do. But her body would always panic and send her to safety, instead of facing it. When she thought she was ready and went back, Heejin was already in her room. 

Hyunjin let her body fall to the nearest chair, wondering what in the world was she doing. Mid-term exams were over by now, but she shouldn’t slack off. She should be in her room, studying, focusing on what should be her priority. But if only it worked like that. 

She noticed a way too familiar box where she always kept her bread. She stood up and opened it, revealing her so loved and missed chocolate bread. Hyunjin couldn’t hold a smile, but when she remembered Heejin didn’t bring her bread anymore, she closed the box. It must be for her. 

Sighing, she made her way back to her room. 

“I said I don’t wanna go!” 

Hyunjin froze, her hand on her doorknob. The only time she heard Heejin screaming like that was when she was having nightmares, but this time, it sounded even more painful. She waited, expecting something else, but there was silence now. She couldn’t just go to her room and pretend she heard nothing, so she approached Heejin’s door, and the faint sob felt like a shot through the heart. She was crying, and Hyunjin had no idea what had happened, but she wanted so bad to be there for her. 

“Fuck t-this shit.” Hyunjin heard her saying, her voice quivering and failing. 

Hyunjin knocked, and when there was no answer, she tried again. “H-Hey, Heejin?” 

Heejin sniffed. “What?” 

“I heard you screaming, are you okay?” 

“Yes.” 

Hyunjin bit her lip. “If you need something, I’ll be in my room.” 

She should have just gone to her room in the first place. It was clear that Heejin didn’t want to see her, talk to her, hear her voice- 

Heejin’s door flew open, making Hyunjin almost jump as she was about to step in her room. 

“Hyunjin,” she called, her voice barely a whisper, so weak Hyunjin felt like running and hugging her. They stood, eyes locked on each other’s. “Can you... play something for me?” 

It didn’t matter what happened now, what had happened, or what could happen, Hyunjin would never reject that request. 

It felt like deja vu, Hyunjin looking down at her keyboard while Heejin waited, sitting on her bed with her cat plushie. None said a word. There was a specific song Hyunjin wanted to play and _sing._

She let her eyes close as her voice filled the room, reciting the words she wrote thinking about Heejin, and she wished she could see her face. She could actually, but for sure that the second that would happen, she would lose focus and ruin everything. 

There was silence as she finished, taking a deep breath. Had Heejin fallen asleep? Hyunjin turned on the bench and tears ran down Heejin’s cheeks. 

“W-Why are you crying?” 

“Just...” Heejin sobbed, and Hyunjin ran to sit next to her, hesitating, but reaching for her cheeks to clean the tears away. “That was so beautiful.” 

“You’re crying because my song was beautiful?” Hyunjin frowned. 

“T-The song is yours? Did you write that?” 

Hyunjin nodded, and Heejin sobbed again. “I’m sorry, this is ridiculous.” 

“No, it’s okay, cry as much as you like,” Hyunjin said, and as Heejin raised her head to look at her, she laughed. “I-I mean, cry what you need.” 

“Thank you, Hyunjin. I really needed that. I feel so much calmer now.” Heejin leaned back against the wall, bringing the plushie closer to her chest. “And I’m sorry-” 

“No, Heejin, I am sorry.” 

There was a pause, and Hyunjin felt like her heart wanted to jump from her chest from how much she wanted to say it. 

“I’m sorry, I was rude, I was judgmental, I acted like shit-” 

“Hey, don’t say that.” Heejin grabbed her hand. 

“But it’s true. You did nothing wrong, and what I did was completely disproportionate. I caused all of this, if it wasn’t for the way I talked to you nothing would have happened, and I really didn’t want any of this, I never did.” She didn’t notice, but with each word, she squeezed Heejin’s hand on hers tighter and tighter. 

“Can you explain what you were feeling that day?” 

Hyunjin gulped and looked down. 

“I don’t know, I overreacted. I guess it was because of the lack of sleep, I wasn’t thinking properly, and instead of trying to remain calm and listen to you, I lashed out. You explained, you apologized, and you were right. The only thing I had to do was accept your apology and this wouldn’t have happened. I’m really sorry, Heejin.” 

“You’re forgiven.” 

With only those words, it felt like the weight of the world was taken off Hyunjin’s back, as she sighed and fought sudden tears. 

“Was there any other reason?” Heejin asked, “For the way you reacted.” 

Oh, there was. She just had to say it, all that she wanted to tell Heejin that same night, everything that was pressing on her chest. 

“No.” Hyunjin clenched her jaw. Why was she such a coward?! “Why? Did you think there could be something else?” 

“Actually, yes. I’m sorry, it’s a bit embarrassing...” Heejin avoided her eyes, and for some reason, Hyunjin’s heart beat harder. “I mean no offense, I was just afraid that you could, you know, feel uncomfortable because I was with another girl and you might be someone who... didn’t take that very well.” 

Heat creeped under Hyunjin’s face. “No, no, it’s nothing like that! I actually... play for the same team. So it’s nothing like that, really, don’t worry!” Maybe she said that a bit too enthusiastically, or just so Heejin could be sure of it, but at least she looked at her with a growing smile that became a light laugh. 

“That’s good then.” 

“I’m sorry if I came across like that, I must have been really rude.” 

“No, I just tend to overthink things. I remember you mentioned Jinsol moved in with Jungeun and you never seemed bothered by it, but I was still afraid, because you’re living with me and I was feeling really self-conscious that I made you uncomfortable and that you could hate me.” 

“I could never hate you,” Hyunjin blurted, feeling her face warming up even more, if that was possible. “Can I... just ask you a question?” 

“Go ahead.” 

“What exactly is your relationship with Jiwoo? I don’t mean to offend you either, but, is that frequent? I mean, you sleeping with friends. I’m not judging! But because I kinda did, I want to understand it better, and so I know who to expect around the house and... yeah.” 

There was also a different shade on Heejin’s cheeks, and Hyunjin hoped she didn’t mess up again. 

“It’s not frequent, and it doesn’t happen with anyone else. I’ve never been a person to sleep around, it’s just a bit different with Jiwoo because, as I told you, we’ve been great friends since high school, and even though we never dated because there wasn’t that kind of feeling between us, there was always attraction, so this was not the first time that happened. But because we drank and haven’t seen each other in a while, well, it just happened, I guess.” 

Hyunjin didn’t know how to feel about that information. Happy that Jiwoo is someone she can trust and a good friend, or devastated to know that it’s something that had already happened, and could perfectly happen again? Her head seemed to spin, but she forced Hyejoo’s words into her brain. 

“In fact, Jiwoo has a girlfriend.” 

“She what?” 

Heejin laughed. “She has a girlfriend, Sooyoung. They have an open relationship.” 

Hyunjin blinked. If Jiwoo had a girlfriend and slept with Heejin, then it was completely possible for Heejin to still be interested in her, right? Just like Hyejoo said. 

“I think It’s amazing how much they trust and love each other, that it doesn’t matter if one of them spends a night with someone else, it doesn’t change the way they love each other.” 

Hyunjin nodded. “Thank you for answering and not judging me. And I’m sorry.” 

“No, it’s okay, you don’t need to apologize. I understand you were also worried about me.” 

Of course she was. That also reminded her... “C-Can I ask you another question?” Heejin smiled and nodded. “Did something happen? Because you were screaming before.” 

“Oh, that...” Heejin sighed. “It was my mother.” 

“Did you fight?” 

“We don’t get along well.” 

Hyunjin clenched her hand around Heejin’s. “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“In fact, can I... talk it out with you?” 

“Y-Yes!” Hyunjin’s heart jumped. “I’m here, say whatever you feel like.” 

“She pisses me off so much. I’m not even living in the same house anymore, I thought things would get better for me, but she still makes sure I feel bad! Why? Why can’t she just let me be?!” Heejin exploded, her low toned voice loud and filled with so much pain it pierced Hyunjin’s whole body. 

Since she had no idea what to answer to that, and a single tear escaped Heejin’s eye, Hyunjin pulled her close, circling her arms around her shoulders. 

“I don’t know what happened, but you’re here, and I’m here for you, don’t let it get to you, whatever it is, she doesn’t deserve you feeling like this.” 

Heejin squeezed her body so much she stopped breathing for a second, but it felt so damn good Hyunjin didn’t want to let go of her. But Heejin did, cleared her eyes once again, and held on Hyunjin’s hands. 

“My parents were always fighting when I was a child. I used to run to my room and hide under the covers, but I still could listen to them, screaming, calling each other names. There were times they did this late at night, and I would wake up to it.” 

“Is that why you have such a hard time sleeping?” Hyunjin asked. 

“Yes. They never cared much about me unless it was school related. There was a time I even wondered if they liked me at all.” Heejin scoffed, shaking her head. “I had to get good grades, don’t get myself into problems, be a good girl. When I was in the last year of high school, I told them I wanted to go to a dance school and pursue that, but they didn’t let me. They said I had to get to the best college, go to medical school or some bullshit like that. I never wanted that, but my mother said she wouldn’t support me otherwise. We fought a lot at that time, and she said that if I didn’t change my mind, I could get a job and leave. And that’s what I did.” 

Hyunjin was at a loss of words. 

“The fact that she found out I like girls didn’t help at all,” Heejin continued, “she caught me kissing Jiwoo one time, and I seriously don’t know how she didn’t hit me that day. But that was just another way she found to try to manipulate me, saying I was a disappointment and a failure, to try to get to me. It didn’t really work her way, but she still tries. She calls me to ask when I’m going to go to college, that I’m running out of time, and that if I don’t go, I’ll never be successful in life and she will not help me. I don’t even want to pick up when she calls me, and I instantly get so anxious, but I’m afraid of what she could do if I start to ignore her.” 

“Heejin,” Hyunjin fidgeted in her place, moving closer to her. “I can’t believe you went through all of that. Someone like you doesn’t and never will deserve parents like that. You deserve the best in this world, and whatever is in my power to make you happy and to see a smile on your face, I’ll do it. I’m so glad you were brave and took that decision.” 

They stared at each other in silence. Hyunjin had no idea if she said the right thing, but it was the first thing that came to her mind to say. 

“I can’t say I wasn’t afraid, but I’m also so glad I did it. Since I didn’t have much time to leave, I couldn’t even look for a proper place to stay, so the house I was in was in bad conditions, and my roommates were loud and rude. But at least I found a good job and I managed to save some money, and now I’m here, and I got to know you and have you as my roommate. And I couldn’t ask for anything else.” 

Hyunjin didn’t know why, but it was in that exact moment, while staring into her eyes, that she could say without any doubt that she was so madly in love with Heejin. Maybe because Heejin seemed to look at her with the same spark in her eyes, eyes that jumped from Hyunjin’s and her lips. Lips that pressed together as Heejin’s gulp ringed in her ears, and she couldn’t stop her own eyes to stare down. It’s not like she hadn’t looked at Heejin’s lips before, but every time she did, she wondered how could someone have lips so pretty, with such a sharp and defined cupid’s bow, like they had been hand drawn to fit perfectly on her face, but, above all this, how would they feel against her own. 

“I-I brought you bread,” Heejin said, and Hyunjin snapped back. 

“It’s for me?” 

“Of course, it’s chocolate bread.” 

Hyunjin wiped a fake tear and sniffed. “Thank you so much, Heejin. I missed the bread a lot.” 

“Didn’t you miss me?” 

“Maybe a bit, but not more than the bread.” 

“Liar.” 

“Oh?” Hyunjin irked an eyebrow. “You’re confident.” 

“Yes, and I’m right.” 

“Alright, you are.” 

Heejin smirked, and let her body fall, hitting the mattress. “I’m sleeping here tonight.” 

“Wow, you’re kicking me out of my room?” 

“With you.” 

What in the world was happening, Hyunjin didn’t know. But she let her own body lay down next to Heejin, staring at the ceiling instead. She didn’t know what would happen if she turned to face her. 

“I didn’t know you sang,” Heejin said, and she was so close she could feel her breathing on her neck. 

“I didn’t know you danced.” 

“It’s been a while, with everything. But I miss it. It was one of the few things that made me happy.” 

“You need to get back to it. You can now.” 

There was silence, and Hyunjin dared move her neck a bit, just until she could meet Heejin’s eyes. 

“I’ll think about it.” 

“Promise me you really will think.” 

Heejin smiled. “I do promise. And thank you, Hyunjin. For listening to me, for being here to me.” 

A stomach rumbled, and even though Hyunjin was hungry, she was sure it was not hers. 

“You hungry?” She asked. 

“Yeah, I was about to go cook something when my mother called me.” 

“Let’s make something and eat together, then.” 

“But I’m so comfortable.” Heejin pouted. 

Hyunjin stood up to hide the silly grin on her lips. “Do you want me to bring you something? My kimchi stew?” 

Heejin’s eyes grew big. “I’ll go with you. It’s been a while since we cooked and had a meal together.” 

Indeed, Hyunjin missed it so much, just like she missed watching something together, then drink their tea before bed, and going to bed _together._ Hyunjin was so happy, Heejin didn’t even need to ask her to aeong. She did it herself, just so she could see Heejin smile one more time. 

“Can you sing something for me?” Heejin asked as Hyunjin got under the blanket. 

“Like a lullaby?” She chuckled. 

Heejin raised Hyunjin’s arm and snaked it around herself, resting her head on her shoulder. 

“The song you sang before. I wanna hear it again.” 

Heejin closed her eyes, waiting, and fearing that she could hear Hyunjin’s heartbeat, she complied to her request without a question. Maybe Hyunjin was so focused on her singing, or in admiring Heejin’s face, that she didn’t realize her own hand caressing her hair. 

“When did you write that song?” 

“Not long ago.” 

“Were you thinking of someone when you wrote it?” 

Hyunjin hesitated. “Yes.” 

_Say it._

“That’s one lucky person.” _Say it. _“I would love something like that.” 

_Say it, god damnit!_

But her vocal cords refused to work now, and she was forcing them so much she almost choked. 

“Thank you, Hyunjin. I’ll sleep well tonight thanks to you.” 

“I-I hope you do.” 

“Good night.” 

“Good night, Heejin.” 

She turned off the light and stared at the gleaming stars in her ceiling. She had always loved to look at the stars at night, and the moon, especially when it was full. 

Dark locks tangled around her fingers, and Hyunjin wished she could stay like that forever. 

Maybe not, because there was so much she wanted to do with Heejin. Like actually stargazing, laying down on fluffy grass. 

So instead, Hyunjin wished she had the courage to tell her how much she loved her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone order a big dose of fluff? c':
> 
> I hope you loved this chapter as much as I loved writing it. Revealing backstory is one of my favorite things to write, to let you guys to know what the character's have been through. 
> 
> Now we only need to know if Hyunjin has the courage to let Heejin know she's the one lucky person ^-^


	8. Maybe we can start slow

Hyunjin entered the classroom, almost shouting a ‘good morning’, and sat on her usual seat next to Chaewon. 

“Look who’s got a girlfriend,” Chaewon said with an irked eyebrow. 

“You? Congrats, it was about time you and Hyejoo made it official, wasn’t it?” 

“Yah!” Chaewon slapped her arm. “I’m talking about you.” 

“No. But we’re good again, we talked it out, I apologized, then we cooked together, watched a movie, and went to sleep. Cuddling.” Hyunjin held back the gigantic grin that wanted to stretch on her lips, avoiding Chaewon’s teasing smirk as she took her things from her bag. 

“Please, you’re a married couple already. You seriously didn’t tell her you like her?” 

Hyunjin sulked on her chair. “No. But you’re one to talk. Why haven’t you sorted things out with Hyejoo already? You have nothing to fear, it’s more than obvious you’re basically dating, except not really.” 

Red painted Chaewon’s cheeks. “Because she might not want the same and I don’t want to ruin whatever we have. What if she thinks we’re just being really good friends and doesn’t see things the way I do?” 

“Have you thought that maybe she’s in the exact same place? And doesn’t want to talk to you because she’s also afraid?” 

“I think about that every day. But then I get comfortable in where I’m standing and I give up once more. I guess that makes me a coward.” 

“Then we can be cowards together.” Hyunjin raised a hand and waited for Chaewon to high five it, like the sorry cowardly losers they were. 

Just when class was about to start, Hyunjin leaned closer to whisper in her ear - “Me and Heejin don’t go and call each other soulmates. Think about that.” 

The day went by slower than Hyunjin wanted. All she wanted was to arrive home and make a phone call she had been thinking about all day. 

“Jinsol!” Hyunjin said, as soon as she picked up. 

“Aeong, hey, you’re in a good mood. Let me guess, it’s about Heejin?” 

“Damn right.” Hyunjin explained everything, the smile always lingering on her lips. 

“That’s great, I’m happy for you, but why aren’t you two together yet really?” 

“I didn’t call you so you could scold me.” Hyunjin pouted. “I don’t wanna rush anything, things are fine now, I’ll let it flow. Things will happen when it’s the right time, if they are meant to happen.” 

“You know you can make the right time, right? You don’t need to wait.” 

“Okay, enough of that. Tell me something, you mentioned Jungeun teaches in a dance school or something, right?” 

“Yeah, why? You want to go too?” The teasing smirk was obvious in Jinsol’s voice. 

“No, not me. Heejin told me she always loved to dance, but she stopped because of some complications with her mother. I wanted her to go back to it, now that she can. Can you tell me where that dance school is so I can take her there?” 

There was silence over the line, and Hyunjin peeked at her phone to make sure the call was still ongoing. Then, there was a sniff. 

“You’re so kind, Aeong.” 

“Can you stop making fun of me?” Hyunjin grunted. “I’m trying my best.” 

“You make fun of me about the things I do for Jungeun all the time, the least you can do is let me have my revenge.” 

“Fine, I’ll give that to you. Now, do we have a deal?” 

“Well, do you know which style she likes?” 

Hyunjin scrunched her nose. “I actually have no idea. I don’t know the first thing about dance, I didn’t ask such questions.” 

“I hope you’re not planning on making it a surprise then, because there’s about twenty different dance styles they teach over there.” 

“That doesn’t matter, I’m taking her there and she’ll sign up herself if she wants to.” 

“Gotcha. I’ll text you.” 

“Thank you so much, Jinsol.” 

“It’s fine, you own me a drink at ViViD.” 

“As if I’m giving you much trouble-” 

“Bye!” And Jinsol hung up. 

Hyunjin clicked her tongue, but at least things were going smoothly and the way she pictured it. 

\--- 

A couple days went by, and Hyunjin knew it was Heejin’s day off, because she had to leave her bed alone, and left Heejin sleeping with her plushie, instead of her. As she stepped outside the classroom, she texted on her phone, asking if she was available to hang out on that warm spring day. She barely had time to pocket her phone, when the response came, so fast as if Heejin was waiting for it. ‘_Yes c:’ - _the simplest answer, but enough to make her knees wobble. 

“Look at you,” Chaewon snickered. “Smiling at your phone like an idiot.” 

“Shush. Have you talked to Hyejoo?” 

“Wow, you’re bringing that up every time I make fun of you now?” 

“Great idea.” 

Chaewon huffed, and Hyunjin laughed at her. “It’s a great day today, you should invite her to do something.” 

“So she brings Yerim along? No, thanks.” 

“Oooohhhh... I see it all now.” Hyunjin raised her eyebrows, the pieces clicking together, and Chaewon frowned at her. “That’s why you haven’t talked with her. You think Hyejoo’s into Yerim?” 

Red covered Chaewon’s face, all visible even though she looked the other way to try to hide it. 

“Heejin slept with another girl on the other side of my wall, but am I not still fighting? You’re clinging onto an idea that’s in your head only. Don’t let it decide for yourself.” 

Chaewon halted, a couple students almost bumping into her as they walked behind her. Hyunjin mumbled an apology for Chaewon as she approached her. 

“You’re right,” Chaewon mumbled, Hyunjin barely catching it with all the students’ babbling around them. “You’re actually right! Thank you, Hyunjin!” Chaewon resumed her way, her pace faster than before. 

“Wait, are you actually going to talk to her?” Hyunjin dropped her chin. 

Chaewon stopped again and turned. “Maybe not, but that helped. Have fun with Heejin!” She waved and rushed, leaving Hyunjin clueless about what she intended to do. She shrugged, though, but was glad she helped. 

Focusing on her mission for today, Hyunjin peeked at her phone to find another message from Heejin she didn’t notice she got. ‘_Where are we going?__’_

Hyunjin giggled to herself. ‘_I have a place in mind.’_

She rushed to their meeting point, not noticing how fast her legs moved. She kept her phone in hands in case Heejin messaged her, and to try to distract her mind while she waited, and to not look like she was constantly looking around, expecting to see Heejin arrive at any second. 

“Hey,” Heejin’s deep voice sounded behind her, and Hyunjin turned so fast she almost stumbled on her feet. “Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” 

“No.” Hyunjin gulped, her nostrils flaring as she took a look at Heejin’s outfit. Why did she have to look so damn good in vans, baggy sports pants, a white t-shirt, and an adidas cap?! Did she know they were going to visit a dance school? 

“I’m glad then. Let’s go? Wherever you have in mind.” 

Hyunjin nodded and led the way, with Heejin walking beside her. 

“Thank you for inviting me to hang out today. I didn’t feel like staying home, so I was hoping you would text me as soon as you were done with classes. Okay, maybe I was really expecting you to.” 

“Y-You know me well.” 

Heejin giggled, and Hyunjin felt nervous. That was a good idea, right? Heejin was going to like it. She promised she would think about that, and Hyunjin wanted to help. Right? 

They talked about Hyunjin’s day as they walked, the way memorized in Hyunjin’s mind. Another turn, and it should be in the end of the street. 

“We’re here,” Hyunjin said, slowing down and looking up at the lighted logo on the glass window – _NewDance Studios_

Heejin stopped, stared at it, then at Hyunjin. 

“Jungeun, Jinsol’s girlfriend, teaches here.” 

“I'd heard. I know this school, Sooyoung is the owner.” 

“Sooyoung? Jiwoo’s girlfriend?!” Hyunjin’s eyes bulged, and Heejin nodded. “I didn’t know.” 

“They’ve tried to convince me to join, but...” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to pressure you, you mentioned it and I thought it could help, but I messed up.” Hyunjin dropped her head. 

“No, you didn’t. I appreciate it. You’re really thoughtful and kind, Hyunjin. I’m the one who’s scared.” 

“What are you scared of?” The sounds of the city buzzed around them, and Hyunjin regretted her words. “H-Hey, let’s forget about this for now. How about a walk by the river? I’ll buy you ice cream.” 

Heejin chuckled, and Hyunjin could breathe again. “Alright, if you’re offering, I won’t refuse.” 

They walked to the nearby subway and all their way to the riverside was quiet. Hyunjin blamed herself. She should have waited, Heejin promised she would think about that, and she rushed and ruined everything. 

After getting them ice cream like she said she would, they sat down on the grass, staring ahead at the river. The breeze felt so good on her skin, blowing perfectly to turn the sun enjoyable. 

“I’m sorry,” Heejin said, the ice cream on her hand melting and almost getting on her hand. “I ruined the mood.” 

Hyunjin pouted and pointed at her ice cream. “Aeong.” 

She managed to rip a smile from Heejin’s lips. 

“No, it wasn't you, it’s my fault-” 

“No, Hyunjin. I miss dancing, but I’m scared.” 

Hyunjin had asked why before, she couldn’t do it again. 

“I tried to, in our house. I tried to dance, but instead of bringing me happiness, it only brought me bad memories, of my mother yelling at me for dancing instead of studying, or sometimes going further than just yelling... You know.” 

She licked her ice cream a few more times and sniffed, all while Hyunjin had no idea what to say or do, only to try to contain the rage building inside her. 

“It seems like my body doesn’t know how to move anymore. Or maybe I’m too afraid to know if I still can do it or not, so I started to give up.” 

“When you think about dancing, when you try to do it, you associate it to your mother. You need to connect it to something different, something new, so when you think or do it, it brings you good memories.” Hyunjin paused, wondering for a second if she should say the words in the tip of her tongue. “I’ll do with you. I-If you want to, of course, I can try and dance with you. I’m pretty sure I have two left feet, but at least you can laugh at me and I will make you look much better.” 

The sun shone on Heejin’s eyes as she stared into Hyunjin’s. She opened her mouth a couple times, but no sound came, so instead, she rested her forehead on Hyunjin’s shoulder. 

“I don’t know what to say, Hyunjin. Just... thank you.” 

“You don’t have to say anything. Just say yes if you want to.” 

“I would love that.” Heejin raised her head, leaving their faces too little inches away. Hyunjin’s surroundings blurred around Heejin, because it didn’t matter where they were, she would always be the most beautiful thing her eyes could look at. Once again, at her lips, and a voice screamed so loud she wondered if someone around them shouted for them to kiss. 

“Shit,” Heejin hissed, looking at the melted ice cream that ended up reaching her hand. “We better eat them fast.” 

Hyunjin cleared her throat, devouring hers, because she sure needed to cool herself down. 

She couldn’t handle that again. It was the second time it had happened, and she was not sure if she was strong enough to handle it a third time without losing it. 

After their walk by the riverside, and picking some takeaway food for dinner, they went back home, where Heejin seemed to be restless. 

“Let’s dance,” she said, as soon as they finished doing the dishes. 

“A-Already?” 

Heejin’s smile faded. “You don’t want to?” 

“Yes, I do! I was just surprised.” And freaking happy that she could motivate her that much. “Teach me something.” 

The grin was back to Heejin’s lips. She played something on her phone and turned to Hyunjin, but her body stood still. Hyunjin took a step closer and grabbed her hands, making her meet her eyes. 

“It’s only me here. Empty your mind, focus on this moment, and set your body free.” 

Heejin closed her eyes, squeezing Hyunjin’s hand and taking a deep breath. Hyunjin took another step closer and pulled Heejin against her body, resting her hands on her shoulders and swinging her body slowly. 

“M-Maybe we can start slow? I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about dance, I don’t even know what you like to dance.” 

Heejin giggled, as she placed her hands on Hyunjin’s waist and followed her awkward movements. “I used to learn some kpop choreographies that I liked, but sometimes I tried to improvise and even created some hip-hop routines.” Hyunjin gulped, the image of Heejin dancing something like that popping on her mind like earlier. “But this is perfect.” 

Perfect described it. The feeling of her body so close to hers, but yet not close enough. But when the courage to bring her closer pulsed on Hyunjin’s hands, Heejin’s body started moving more, freer, as she pushed Hyunjin so she could spin. Then, she grabbed Hyunjin’s hands and danced like she was dancing in a disco at night – wild, her limbs moving on its own, her hair bouncing from side to side as she threw her head to the sides. Hyunjin tried to follow her, beaming so hard her cheeks hurt. 

They danced for who knows how long, until Hyunjin was out of breath and had to drop her body to the couch, resting her head back. As she stared at the ceiling, she wondered if she should get a mirror ball. Would Heejin like it? 

Heejin’s body fell beside Hyunjin, their fast breaths filling the silence. 

“I haven’t danced this much for so long,” Heejin mumbled. 

“Did you have fun?” 

“Yes, so much. Thank you again, and next time I promise I’ll teach you something.” 

“And I’ll work hard to learn it well.” 

The day’s tiredness started kicking on Hyunjin’s body and mind. “I’m gonna make some tea.” Heejin only hummed in response. 

They drank their tea in silence, and it felt so comfortable. Hyunjin peeked at Heejin, as she stared down at her mug with a small, lingering smile on her lips. 

She hoped she could do more things for Heejin, no matter big or small, as long as that smile could stay there for as long as possible. 

\--- 

Hyunjin had all her focus on her books when her phone buzzed. She grunted, not minding to see the name when she picked up. 

“Aeongie!” Jinsol’s voice pierced her ear. “Busy?” 

“Yeah, trying not to lose my mind in the books. I have an exam tomorrow, and another on Wednesday and Friday.” She sighed, massaging her temples. 

“Jeez, good luck. But hey, I have good news then, my birthday party will be on Friday night! Awesome, right? Since you’ll be done with exams, you can relax and have tons of fun!” 

“Oh, y-yeah, right!” No, Hyunjin did not forget that Jinsol’s birthday was coming up soon, she was just too focused and it slipped her mind for a second. “That will actually be great.” 

“It’s gonna be here in our house, we’ll have food and drinks and music. And tell Heejin to come too, Jungeun’s gonna bring Jiwoo and all.” 

_Jiwoo__..._

“Yes, I’ll tell her.” 

“Awesome! Okay, I’ll leave you to your books, don’t forget to eat well, drink lots of water, and sleep. Also, spend some time with Heejin to relax a bit, yes?” 

Hyunjin smiled. “Yes, mom. Say hi to Jungeun for me.” 

“Say hi to Heejin for me, then!” 

She went back to her marketing study session but now with an extra motivation. And Heejin was going to be there too. Well, Hyunjin still had to talk to her, but there was no reason for her to say no. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what can I say... look forward to the next chapter? keke ^-^


	9. It all collapsed

If it wasn’t for Heejin, Hyunjin would probably have gone mad that week. It was incredible how a simple hug or listening to Heejin’s voice, while sitting beside each other on the couch, could refill Hyunjin’s energy gauge. 

But at last, Friday arrived, and with it, Hyunjin’s last exam. She felt like screaming as she stepped outside the school gates, excitement moving her muscles towards home to relax a bit before going to the party. 

“Hyunjin,” Heejin called from the other side of her door. “You ready? They must be arriving.” 

No, because she was having a breakdown about what she should wear. 

“Almost!” 

It was a party in Jinsol’s house, why was she giving it so much thought? Hurrying, she pulled up her comfortable black jeans, put on her light pink blouse, then grabbed her leather jacket and rushed outside her room. 

Heejin stood by the kitchen counter, drinking a glass of water. She was wearing that same white shirt Hyunjin remembered from that night, but with ripped jeans this time, and with her hair down and decorated with delicate waves. She really looked amazing in whatever she put on. 

Hyunjin’s phone buzzed on her hand, breaking her moment of beauty appreciation. “They’re here.” 

Jinsol and Jungeun (and Jiwoo, she was already with them) offered to pick them up, as long as they helped them buy food and drinks for the party. Hyunjin didn’t think twice – that way she could guarantee there was some kind of bread. 

Lots of people filled the living room of their spacious house. Music played in the sound system, people’s bellies were full, _or not if you’re Kim __Hyunjin_, and now full glasses were raised in the air, along with cheers after singing Jinsol happy birthday. She blew the candles, and Jungeun scooped whipped cream from the cake, splashing it on Jinsol’s cheek. While everyone laughed, Hyunjin frowned in terror. 

“How could you do that to the cake, Kim Jungeun! The poor cake didn’t deserve to go on Jinsol’s face!” Jiwoo yelled, grabbing her wrists to stop her from starting a food war, while Jungeun whined, _you party pooper!_

Hyunjin took a deep breath with a hand on her chest. If there was something she couldn’t handle watching it was people wasting food like that. 

“Thank you, Jiwoo.” Jinsol cleaned her face, ignoring her girlfriend and friend’s bickering. 

The party went on, with music louder than before and everyone dancing. Hyunjin sat for a bit - _she really needed to work on her stamina -_ and couldn’t stop smiling, watching Heejin have the time of her life, dancing like there was no tomorrow. Then, she remembered her gift for Jinsol. She fetched the box from her bag and approached her. 

“I was starting to think you didn’t get me anything.” Jinsol laughed. 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and opened the box, revealing something that looked like a small statue of a sunken ship. 

“It’s for Soul,” _Jinsol’s__ blue betta. _“Her aquarium looks too dull, so I thought that would look good and she’ll like it.” 

“Hyunjin, it’s my birthday, not Soul’s.” 

“Fine, next time I won’t give you anything.” Hyunjin crossed her arms. 

“I’m kidding.” Jinsol laughed, pulling Hyunjin into a hug. “I really liked it, thank you. Tomorrow I’ll set it up and send you a pic.” 

“You better.” 

“Oh, and there’s something I have to tell you. I have a student!” 

Hyunjin frowned, then it clicked. “For your private piano lessons?” Jinsol nodded, a grin plastered on her lips. “Oh wow, that’s amazing, congrats!” 

“Thank you, I’m so excited and nervous. It’s a young girl, I hope I can teach her well.” 

“I’m sure you will, but I’m not so sure about your skill to deal with kids.” Hyunjin took a sip of her drink she didn’t quite know what was, but it was sweet. 

Jinsol glared at her. “What do you take me for? I’m great with kids, and I’ll be an awesome teacher.” 

“Your confidence came back pretty fast.” 

“It never left.” 

They laughed and Jungeun called Jinsol, so Hyunjin was left alone. She looked around and spotted Heejin talked to a taller girl she didn’t know. She went back to sit for a bit more, finishing her drink. 

“Mind if I sit with you?” 

Hyunjin looked up at the smiling Jiwoo and nodded at her, moving so she gave her more space to sit. “Actually, let me refill our glasses,” she said, stealing Hyunjin’s from her hand. She came back and sat beside her. “Enjoying the party?” 

“Yeah, what about you?” 

“Absolutely! Sooyoung is chatting with Heekkie, and since you were alone, I thought I should keep you some company.” 

“Oh, that’s Sooyoung,” Hyunjin mumbled, stealing another glance at them. “She’s really pretty.” 

For a moment, Jiwoo’s head slowly tilted to her side and her eyes, fixed on Sooyoung, seemed to glisten as she let out a sigh. “Tell me about it.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t help the small smile forming on her lips, observing how adorably in love Jiwoo looked. 

Jiwoo snapped out of her daze and turned back to Hyunjin. 

“Hyunjin! I wanted to tell you something.” 

Hyunjin looked at Jiwoo, and for the first time since she knew her, her face was serious. She gulped and her heart shot in less than a second. 

“G-Go ahead.” 

“I wanted to thank you for what you’ve been doing for Heejin,” Jiwoo said, and Hyunjin couldn’t stop her eyebrows from rising. She even dropped the nickname this time. “Even though she had suffered at home since she was just a child, she still was a very energetic, bright, and outgoing person when I met her in her first year of high school. But since all the fights with her mother, then being kicked out and her first experience living with other people, all of that took a toll on her. That Heejin I knew was slowly replaced by an insecure, depressed Heejin, and it worried me I could do nothing but be there for her when she needed. But since she moved in with you, the old Heejin started resurfacing. It’s all thanks to you, Hyunjin, so, thank you. I’m glad you two met, you love each other and bring out the best in one another.” 

Hyunjin blinked, eyes locked on Jiwoo. She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. 

“W-What did you just say?” She blurted, almost regretting it, but then Jiwoo smiled. “L-L----” 

“I said nothing.” Jiwoo pretended to look away as she smiled. 

“So was I that obvious that day?” Hyunjin asked. 

“Heejin probably already told you my relationship with Sooyoung is a little uncommon, but I still know what jealousy looks like.” Jiwoo placed a hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “I felt really sorry for making you feel like that, but you’re clearly a good person, Hyunjin. Even though I hurt you, you still welcomed me in your house and treated me well.” 

“Oh, uh, nothing like that! It wasn’t any of my business, and of course I wasn’t going to hold it against you or something. You’re clearly a great friend for Heejin. Thank you, too.” 

“Either way, I’m really sorry. From that day on, and going forward, I promise to respect your feelings for Heejin and won’t be doing that again as long as you feel uncomfortable.” Jiwoo extended her a hand with a raised pinky. 

“No, it’s really not about me. You don’t have to say those things. We’re not even dating, I don’t have that right.” Hyunjin waved her hands in front of her. 

“So _when_ you do date, I promise I won’t do anything to get in the way. Yes?” 

Hyunjin beamed and took Jiwoo’s pinky promise. 

“Thank you again, Jiwoo. You’re also a really good person.” 

“No need to thank me!” Jiwoo let go of her pinky and grabbed her hand instead. “I hope in the future we can become great friends too!” 

“Of course!” Hyunjin squeezed her hand. “Hey, I think Jungeun’s calling you, by the way.” 

Jiwoo looked back and stood up. “Right! I’ll see you later, Hyunjin!” 

Hyunjin finally felt like she could let her guard down around Jiwoo. Before, she might have been intimidated by her energetic and happy aura, a vibe Hyunjin didn’t have and she thought made her uninteresting in comparison. 

But that didn’t make sense. Jiwoo and Heejin weren’t interested in each other that way, and there was no competition other than the one she made up in her head. 

And that was a night to have fun, relax after her stressful exam week, and above all, celebrate Jinsol’s birthday. 

But how could she relax when she remembered the hints Jiwoo dropped? 

_When you date? Love each other?_

The room felt too loud all of a sudden, or maybe it was just all the thoughts ringing in her head. She drank all the liquid in her glass in one sit and stood up. 

She slid the glass door open and stepped outside to the backyard, the summer night breeze greeting her. There was no one there, since it was still quite early and everyone was dancing inside. 

Hyunjin sat down on the grass and looked up, at the dark sky decorated with its bright stars. The moon looked beautiful, just a couple nights away from being full. The words kept echoing in her ears, like Jiwoo was still beside her, alongside the question – what did it mean? Hyunjin scoffed. It was pretty obvious what they meant. Jiwoo wouldn’t say that if she didn’t know anything for sure. 

It was time to overcome her fears. 

Through the corner of her eyes, Hyunjin noticed someone sitting beside her. A smile crept on her lips before she even turned around. 

“Bored?” 

“No, just felt like getting some air. It's a beautiful night.” 

Heejin hummed. At last, Hyunjin turned her neck, and suddenly the night became ordinary. 

“I’ve been talking to Sooyoung.” 

“I saw you two.” 

Heejin met her eyes and smiled. “I’m gonna join.” 

Hyunjin’s heart thumped harder. “Join what?” 

“The dance academy.” 

“For real?” 

Heejin nodded, her smile becoming a grin. A wave of happiness hit Hyunjin so hard she felt her eyes getting warmer, but she fought it back and hugged her instead. 

“You have no idea how happy that makes me feel,” Hyunjin whispered, her fingers brushing her hair. 

“Hyunjin,” she called, sending a chill down her back, and pulled away to stare straight at her eyes. “I don’t think I can ever thank you enough. Not only for this, but for everything. I don’t think you understand how much you’ve done for me.” 

Maybe Hyunjin didn’t, but she also didn’t mind. All she wanted was to keep doing everything she could to see Heejin happy, to keep seeing her beautiful smile. 

Not knowing what to answer, the silence invited Hyunjin to sing. An attempt to convey the feelings she wanted so bad to let Heejin know about, so, never breaking the gaze, she let the melody and words she wrote for Heejin leave her lips. 

“Remember when you said you would love it if someone wrote a song about you?” Hyunjin asked, but Heejin kept silent, eyes never leaving Hyunjin’s. “Well, _someone_ has.” 

The silence dragged for a few seconds. Then, a touch, soft as kitten fur, rested on Hyunjin’s neck, burning the skin under it. 

“It would suck if someone showed up right now and ruined the moment, wouldn’t it?” Heejin stole a glance at her lips. 

For each passing second, for each inch Heejin came closer, the faster and harder Hyunjin’s heart hammered her chest. 

And Hyunjin knew that if they came this close again, she wouldn’t be able to push back anymore. But in the end, Hyunjin was still a coward, because Heejin was the one to pull her in. 

Their lips ghosted over each other, but when Heejin’s moved against hers, a jolt pulsed and ran all over Hyunjin’s body. A sensation she could never describe, feelings she could never put in words. 

For a second, Hyunjin thought her chest would rip apart, and her throat blocked from the overwhelming fire burning her insides. She forgot how to breathe, or it was the intensity of the kiss that was preventing her from doing so. 

Heejin pulled away, and fearing it all was but a dream, Hyunjin held on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, and there she was, as vivid as the kiss had been. 

“You kissed me,” Hyunjin said, because she still had to be sure. 

Heejin chuckled, her nails lightly scratching Hyunjin’s neck. “Yes.” 

“Can you do it again?” 

With a smirk, Heejin approached, stopping when she couldn’t. “No,” she whispered, backing away. “You come and do it.” 

Hyunjin’s head spun, and before she could faint, she cupped Heejin’s cheeks and complied to her request, knowing it would be, from this day forward, another request from Heejin she would and could never deny. 

Heejin rested her forehead on Hyunjin’s, keeping her eyes closed and leaning into Hyunjin’s touch. 

“I’m sorry it took us this long,” Heejin muttered. 

“Why are you apologizing? It was me who was always a coward.” 

“No, Hyunjin. Even if I ever thought I could have a chance, after that night with Jiwoo, I thought I had ruined everything. Even when we made up, I thought there was no turning back. Maybe I felt like I didn’t deserve you-” 

“Don’t you think I always thought it was my fault for the way I acted with you? I still feel bad about that, but we’re here now, and I...” Hyunjin took a deep breath, raising Heejin’s chin and making sure she opened her eyes. “I love you so much, Heejin. I don’t think you know how much, really.” 

“I think I do, because I love you just the same, Hyunjin. I’m so sorry I hurt you back then.” 

Hyunjin fixed a strand of hair behind her ear and rested her hand on her neck. “That doesn’t matter anymore, but even Jiwoo came to apologize.” 

“Jiwoo? Ah, for real...” Heejin chuckled, shaking her head, and Hyunjin frowned. “She came to me and said that I should know you were here outside, all by yourself, and you definitely looked like you needed some company.” 

“Looks like we have someone to thank, then.” 

“Later,” Heejin whispered, kissing her once more. Hyunjin surely wasn’t used to that, so it took her a couple seconds to react and melt into the kiss. 

For a second, or a minute, Hyunjin forgot where she was. Kissing Heejin felt like entering a whole new dimension, one she didn’t know about but was eager to explore. 

“What if we go home?” Hyunjin found herself asking, surprising even herself, but she knew the answer when Heejin smiled. 

\--- 

The front door opened at last, because the hurry to get inside and resume their kiss made Hyunjin’s hands tremble. When she finally stepped inside, her body froze for a second, as she saw herself by her door, watching Heejin stumbling with Jiwoo, lips on hers. But when Heejin’s hands gripped on her waist and a smirk flashed on her lips before she closed her eyes, that vision no longer hurt, no longer bothered her. 

Because Hyunjin was the one stumbling with Heejin on their way to her room, because Hyunjin was the one Heejin kissed with so much love and passion and need, all while fingers dug on her hair, making Hyunjin’s knees weak. 

She still didn’t know how to process all the overwhelming feelings and sensations that traveled all through her body, but did that matter? When the door closed behind them and Heejin pulled away from their kiss to catch on her breath, all Hyunjin wanted was to make her breathing even faster. But it was her own breathing that got stuck on her throat when Heejin opened the first button of her shirt, then the second, and Hyunjin couldn’t not gulp at the sight. 

“You are so beautiful,” she mumbled, watching as Heejin fully unbuttoned it, but kept it on, revealing enough to shut down Hyunjin’s functioning. She took a step closer, letting her hands slide inside, her fingertips barely brushing against her skin. “C-Can I?” 

“Don’t you think you’re taking too long already?” 

Hyunjin’s heart hurt her chest, but she complied, making her shirt slide down her arms, falling to the ground, and she wondered how many more times that same night she would think she had seen the most beautiful thing in the world. 

“You’re so cute.” Heejin giggled, and Hyunjin finally met her eyes. 

“Why?” 

Instead of answering, Heejin grabbed on the hem of Hyunjin’s sweater. 

“Oh, y-yeah, I should-” Hyunjin babbled, hurrying to take it off, but Heejin grabbed her hands. 

“Let me.” 

Heejin's words were but a request, another one Hyunjin would comply without a second thought. She raised her arms, letting Heejin fling the piece of clothing above her head, and her eyes went shut when nails dug on her lower back and lips touched her neck. Hyunjin gripped on Heejin’s shoulders, an attempt to sustain her legs that wanted so bad to collapse. 

“You okay?” Heejin asked, cupping her cheeks now. 

“Yes.” 

Heejin smiled, hands outlining Hyunjin’s sides, until they reached her jeans. “Should I go on, then?” 

Hyunjin gulped, but nodded. She wouldn’t be a coward anymore. Because there was nothing she wanted more than to be with Heejin, to comply to every one of her requests, to show her how much she loved and wanted her. 

This time, Hyunjin didn’t just linger on the other side of the wall as she heard the breaths of the girl she loved and wouldn’t be able to have. This time, it would be her own breathing in sync with Heejin’s as they finally allowed each other to indulge in the burning passion they’d been holding back. 

Tonight, the wall standing between them had collapsed to nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't kill anyone with this ^-^ but hoorray, they're together!
> 
> So, the next chapter will be the last one. I know, the story wasn't very long, but, on the good side, I'm on the last editing phase of my next fic. This time I'll be back with a long story, my second longest ever in fact! I'm gonna say it's Loona, but I won't reveal the main couple just yet keke c:
> 
> I'll see you on the last chapter! Thank you so much for your support ♥️


	10. Anytime

Hyunjin got herself off the bed as fast as she could, which was still painfully slow. She woke up before Heejin and absolutely had to get her breakfast in bed, so she tiptoed towards the door- 

“Aren’t you tired?” Heejin’s sleepy voice sounded behind her. 

Hyunjin sighed and turned, greeted by Heejin’s smile. “No, I slept very w-” 

“Of being the most beautiful girl alive.” 

Hyunjin stared at her, feeling the heat crawling underneath her cheeks, while Heejin’s eyes roamed all over her naked body. 

Today though, Hyunjin would let Heejin embarrass her all she wanted. _Not that she didn’t already..._

Hyunjin crawled on top of her and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, and happy birthday again, baby.” 

Heejin squealed and circled her arms around her girlfriend’s shoulders, rolling over her and showering her with kisses. “Thank you, Aeongie. Why were you running away, though?” 

“Nothing, just needed to go to the bathroom.” 

“And make me breakfast in bed?” 

Hyunjin pouted. “That’s not fair, now it won’t be a surprise.” 

“I was joking, but were you really?” Heejin’s eyes sparkled. 

“Well...” 

“You’re so cute.” Heejin kissed the tip of her nose. “You don’t need to, we can just go and make it together.” 

“But it’s your birthday!” 

“Exactly, and because it’s my birthday, you should attend to my wishes.” 

“You’re so unfair.” 

“But you love me.” 

With nothing more to say, Hyunjin kissed her, slow, but it soon heated up, as her hands circled around her back to bring her closer. 

“Last night wasn’t enough?” Heejin asked, her major smirk plastered on her lips. 

“I-It was! I mean, I wasn’t-” 

“I’m kidding. I just love your face when you’re flustered.” Heejin laughed, while Hyunjin mumbled another ‘unfair’. “What if we go take a shower and then cook our breakfast?” 

Hyunjin didn’t have any other choice but to accept, and it indeed seemed like a pretty good plan to start their day. 

“Remember when I left the bathroom in a towel on the first day we met?” Heejin asked as she dried her body. 

“How could I forget? I was so embarrassed.” 

“You have to admit it was funny.” 

Hyunjin shot her a glare. “How is me nearly dying anything close to funny?” 

Heejin laughed. “Were you that surprised?” 

“Yes? I mean, I was chilling, and then boom, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life appears in front of me wrapped in a towel, an hour after I met her.” 

“Wow, who knew I could seduce you so easily...” Heejin let the towel fall to the ground with another smirk creeping on her lips. 

Hyunjin gulped. It had been four months, and she still hadn’t gotten used to Heejin’s bluntness. 

“And you always take advantage of that.” Hyunjin rolled her eyes. 

“Of course, what would be the fun if I didn’t?” Heejin took a step closer, stealing Hyunjin’s towel away and gluing their bodies. 

Hyunjin’s eyes went shut as Heejin kissed her shoulder. “What’s wrong with you? You were only just teasing me about last night not being enough, but now you do this? Are you going to keep at this all day long?” 

“Oh my, what an awesome idea,” Heejin whispered near her ear, biting her ear lobe next. “Then you can get your revenge later, yes?” 

Hyunjin hissed, but took a deep breath after and maintained her posture. 

“It’s going to be one hell of a revenge. Don’t think I’ll go easy on you because it’s your birthday.” Hyunjin pouted and turned around, but then flipped back to finish her comeback. “And also, I can and I will tickle you a lot. You’ll see.” 

Heejin patted her head like she would a kitten. “How do you switch from hot to cute in a split second? That was amazing.” 

“I won’t tell you my secret.” Hyunjin crossed her arms. “Aeong~” 

Heejin squealed and grabbed Hyunjin’s hand. 

“Now, let’s get dressed and prepare our food. Or we could just hang around the house naked all day long?” Heejin smirked, _again_. 

“Not an option. We have way too many plans. Now let’s just eat!” 

\--- 

Breakfast, a walk in the morning followed by a bowl of ramen for lunch, then going to the movies and an arcade. Nothing fancy, but it was just what Heejin wanted for her birthday, before dinner with everyone. Hyunjin also couldn’t be happier that her girlfriend loved all her suggestions for activities. 

Instead of going to a restaurant for dinner, Heejin asked Jinsol and Jeungeun if it was okay to have a dinner party at their house, since it was much more spacious, and also, Jiwoo’s birthday was next day, and that way they could celebrate both. They were always ready to party, so they almost volunteered before Heejin could even ask. 

“I have something to say,” Sooyoung started, and since only half of the people heard it, she hit her glass with her chopsticks a few times. “Stop stuffing your faces in food for a minute and pay me attention!” And when she was sure everyone looked at her, she cleared her throat. “Alright, thank you-” 

“You and Jiwoo are getting married?” Jungeun interrupted, earning an invisible laser beam across the room. 

Jiwoo clapped with her excited smile plastered on. “Yes, we are! You guessed it right!” 

The living room went silent except for the collective gasps. 

“I didn’t say we were getting married now, but we are someday, right?” 

The room erupted in loud laughs, and Sooyoung sighed with a hand on her forehead. “Yes, we are.” Jiwoo squealed and hugged her, interrupting her once again. “But that was not what I was gonna say. I have news for the birthday girl.” 

All eyes now darted to Heejin, who pointed at herself. 

“As you all know, Heejin is the new prodigy at New Studios, and for that alone, I want to congratulate her again,” Sooyoung went on, and everyone clapped. Heejin looked down, trying to hide her smile. “And even though she’s been there for only four months, she has always shown and proved her skills, passion, effort, and enthusiasm in every class. Having that said, we are opening a Street Dance class next semester, and I, as the owner, happen to have a favorite candidate for the teacher. I could only wonder if she’d like to do it.” Sooyoung wiggled her eyebrows at Heejin. 

Hyunjin dropped her chin, alongside many others, and Heejin herself. 

“Are you serious?” Heejin asked after a few seconds of full silence. 

Sooyoung nodded with a smile. 

“I-I don’t know what to say.” 

“Say yes!” Jiwoo encouraged. 

Heejin scanned around, then locked eyes with Hyunjin. She smiled at her and nodded, holding her hand under the table. 

“Yes, okay, let’s do that,” Heejin said, and the room erupted in another wave of cheers. 

“A toast for Heejin!” Jungeun raised her own. 

“Wait, I have to refill mine!” Yerim cried on the other side of the table, asking for the bottle of soju. 

Hyunjin volunteered to refill everyone’s glasses, then remained standing and raised hers. “To celebrate Heejin’s birthday and her successful future as a dance teacher!” 

Everyone stood up, clinking their glasses together with more cheers. 

Music took place after their meal. Some danced, others kept on drinking and chatting. Hyunjin tried to follow Heejin, but next to her, she looked like a robot gorilla or something like that. But what mattered was the smile that hadn’t left Heejin’s lips all day. 

It was past eleven, and soon, it would no longer be Heejin’s birthday. 

“Wanna go outside for a bit?” Hyunjin asked. 

Heejin nodded and grabbed her hand, leading the way. Hyunjin smiled as they stepped outside to the backyard, remembering it was there that everything started- 

“Looks like someone had this idea already,” Heejin said, and Hyunjin followed her sight, to find Hyejoo and Chaewon breaking their kiss and meeting their stares. 

“Ah, hi...” Chaewon avoided their eyes. 

“W-we should go back inside, I bet they don’t plan to leave us any snacks.” Hyejoo stood up, pulling Chaewon with her and rushing inside. 

Heejin turned to Hyunjin with a frown. “Did I say something?” 

“No, they’re just still a little shy.” She sat, followed by Heejin. 

Heejin sighed. “I thought I was rude. I didn’t mean to send them away.” 

“I know, and they know it too, don’t worry.” 

“Okay, I’m glad then. They’re so cute.” 

“Yeah, they are. But we’re more.” 

Heejin smiled, pinching Hyunjin’s cheeks. “You are.” 

“No, you are, but we’re not here for this.” 

“Then, why did you bring me here?” 

The weather had gotten colder, and as the breeze blew harder, Hyunjin trembled. She grabbed Heejin’s hands and brought them to her lap. “First of all, you can’t imagine how proud and happy I am for you. Jeon Heejin, dance teacher. It fits so well.” 

“Thank you, Hyunjin, for real. I never thought something like this could happen, and I’m not sure if I can do it or-” 

“Of course you can! You’re amazing, Heejin! You heard Sooyoung. You’ll be an amazing teacher.” 

“I’m just a candidate, there will be other dancers.” 

“But I know you’ll be selected. If the owner of the school said that, it’s pretty much guaranteed. There’s no one better than you. I would join your classes just to learn from you.” 

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. I would get distracted with you, and you know I can teach you privately,” Heejin whispered, getting closer to kiss her lips, but when Hyunjin was about to deepen the kiss, Heejin pulled away. 

“You think you can pull off those snarky little tricks, Jeon Heejin, but you’re very wrong if you think I’ll let you get away with it.” 

“I’m looking forward to seeing what you mean with that.” 

Hyunjin bit on her lip, but then remembered the primary reason why she brought Heejin there. Without adding any more words, she fetched a little box from the pocket of her sweater. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you this earlier, but I couldn’t find the opportunity. But honestly, here and now is perfect.” Hyunjin placed the box in Heejin’s hands. “Happy birthday.” 

Heejin opened the box to reveal a simple silver ring. 

“I’m terrible with gifts, I really didn’t know what to give you, but since you mentioned you like jewels and such, and we still don’t have anything together, I thought-” Hyunjin was cut by Heejin launching herself to her, making her fall on her back with a grunt. 

“Thank you, it’s perfect. I love it.” 

Hyunjin relaxed with a deep breath, circling her arms around her. “I’m glad.” 

Heejin pulled back enough to look at her eyes. “I love you, Kim Hyunjin. Every day, I’m thankful for you.” 

“Me too.” Hyunjin hugged her again, burying her face on her neck and leaving light kisses. 

“It’s still my birthday, I have one more request,” Heejin said, laying next to her and resting her head on her shoulder. “Sing me my favorite song.” 

“Anytime.” 

Just like that one night, laying on Hyunjin’s bed, hugging Heejin close, she sang her song she eventually called _Around You._

But, just like she wished that same night in her room, instead of looking up at the glowing stars on the ceiling, she could admire the real stars and the moon shining in the dark sky. And now she had the courage to tell Heejin how much she loved her at any time she felt like it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it guys, the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this story, even though quite short, but I really loved writing it ^-^
> 
> I'm still finishing all the edits on my next story, but please anticipate it a lot!!! I'll announce on my twitter when the story is up, so feel free to follow me @LeonaMarli! 
> 
> Thank you all again for reading this story and for the support and see you soon ♥️ 


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